Addicted
by Gabriel99
Summary: The pills were supposed to be for headaches, but when the effects on Kagome take a turn for the worse she faces manipulation from their mortal enemy. Can help come from an unlikely source? M for language and adult situations. SessKag, some onesided NarKag
1. Ch1: First Step

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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**Chapter 1**

**First Step**

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Kagome jerked when a foot kicked her chair from behind. She raised her head from where it had been resting on her arm – just because it was comfortable – and rubbed her eyes, which had been sliding closed – just because she was resting them, of course. She yawned behind her hand, and tried to focus on the teacher rambling on at the front of the classroom. Her friends were making it their duty to ensure she paid attention during class, and seemed to even enjoy startling her awake.

The young miko sighed, and rubbed her temples to try relieve the headache that was starting up again. If it wasn't because she hadn't had enough sleep, it started up when a certain dog demon started yelling at her as soon as she decided to go home. Inuyasha just didn't understand that she couldn't take too much time off school and her other, _real_, life. He wanted her to stay in the rural era until all the shards of the sacred jewel – which she had broken, yes, but by mistake – were found. And because she was the only living one who could see the shards, he needed her.

_If only that wasn't the only reason he needed me._ She sighed to herself, sinking once again into thoughts of the infuriating, inconsiderate, inescapable half-demon who was her best friend and no more than that. Kagome loved Inuyasha. It was a fact, just as it was a fact that he loved someone else and she was too sweet and understanding not to forgive him for it.

Kagome groaned aloud just thinking about all of it, and then jerked her head up to see the whole class and the teacher staring at her with concern. She blushed bright pink, and coughed to hide her acute embarrassment.

"Is everything alright, Kagome?" the teacher asked her, and she nodded quickly.

"Just a headache," she replied softly, hoping that the half-truth would lessen her guilt. "Please, I'm alright." Kagome tried to assure him, feeling bad because he looked so earnest. All the teachers looked at her with some pity because of her frequent 'illnesses'. In their eyes, she was an unfortunate child who worked hard to try to make up for her poor health.

It didn't help that her grandfather found the most exotic diseases possible for her either. She could just be thankful that he hadn't managed to diagnose her with an STD just yet.

To her relief, the class continued. She kept her head down, avoiding the curious and sympathetic glances thrown her way occasionally. It was horrible, having to lie to her friends all the time, especially for someone like her. It went against her personality and beliefs, but there was nothing else she could do. _It's not like I can say: 'I travel 500 years back in time and fight demons – only bad ones – to help my friend, Inuyasha – who is a dog half-demon, by the way, but really cute and mostly good-hearted – to put back together this sacred jewel I shattered by accident that will grant any wish, good or evil. Oh, by the way, I really am a miko and have powers that mean I can destroy bad demons with my sacred arrows.' No. I don't think they'd understand._

The rest of the day passed with Kagome trying her hardest to pay attention to her classes and fob off the hundreds of questions about her health and well-being. Honestly, who knew lying could be so tiring?

When the last class ended, Kagome was exhausted. She'd only been back from the feudal era for two days, and was due back in another four unless Inuyasha came early to fetch her which was more than likely. A week was a lot to ask from the stubborn hanyou. She lay her head on her arms and rested for a moment ... because a moment was all she was going to get.

"KAGOME!!!"

"Kagome!"

"KaGOme!!"

She was instantly surrounded by her school friends, but she could only smile as they gathered around her with their constant chatter. She was used to being interrogated about her well-being and love life, and even though it could be tiring she enjoyed pretending that she was normal for once.

The miko walked with her friends through the school corridors and outside towards the gate. But when Kagome heard them gasp collectively and quickly move away from her, she guiltily felt like running for it. Wait for it ... wait for it ...

"Kagome!"

The girl turned around slowly, hoping that the person would have vanished, but ...

"Hojo." She couldn't help her sigh as she looked at his sweet, earnest, concerned and highly unwelcome face.

"How are you feeling?" Hojo asked, completely oblivious to her friends who were staring at them and giggling excitedly. "I was so sorry to hear that you weren't feeling well during your lessons this morning, so I hope you don't mind that I went and got you some special homoeopathic headache pills over lunch time. They're guaranteed to help you and keep your metabolism healthy!"

He held out his hand with the bottle of pills. Kagome took them from him reluctantly, hoping that they weren't like the last batch of homoeopathic pills he'd found her. Those had smelled like ground-up frogs, and she hadn't had the guts to even _touch_ them.

She stuffed the brown bottle in her pocket, and bowed slightly. "Thank you, Hojo. I'm sure they will help and I appreciate your concern." Kagome saw that he was about to speak, and to cut off any offers of dates she dazzled him with a huge smile. "I'll see you soon!" she said brightly, and ran off to her friends while he was too stunned by her enthusiasm to reply.

"Well, Kagome?"

"What did you say?"

"Did he ask you out? Did he?"

The three girls surrounded her, brimming with expectation. "WELL?!"

Kagome grinned sheepishly. "Well ..."

"Oh, Kagome! You didn't turn him down again!" cried Eri. There was a collective groan from all of them as her guilty face gave her away. "He's the nicest boy in school, remember? He-"

Kagome tuned out the rest of her friend's sentence. She'd heard all about Hojo's amazing qualities, and he was a nice guy, but ... She sighed. _He just doesn't compare. He's just so ... so ... so _normal_. Maybe if I hadn't been to the Feudal Era, and met Miroku, Kouga, and Inuyasha. Because in comparison to them, he's just normal. _

She gave an absent wave when her friends went their separate directions home, because she was still submersed in her thoughts.

_I thought I wanted normal ... but do I? Sometimes its scary, sometimes sad and tragic, and I've seen so many horrible things and been so hurt by Inuyasha but ... _Images of her friends, of the people they had saved, flashed through her mind. Images of bathing with Sango, laughing about the smallest thing. Of holding Shippo in her arms, scolding Miroku for his womanising, or flying on Kirara. Sitting on a riverbank with Inuyasha ...

She loved them all. She-

"Oomph!" She hit something hard, and fell backwards. Something scattered around her feet as her bottle fell out of her pocket. Kagome looked up, startled, to see that she had run into a man. The things on the sidewalk were little brown bottles, almost identical to hers.

She reached out and picked her bottle up, and started to apologise profusely as she picked up the man's bottles as well.

"I'm so, so sorry!" she repeated her apology, handing them to him.

The man snatched the bottles from her, stuffing them in his coat pockets. "Stupid girl!" he snarled, "You should watch where you're going!"

"I said sorry!" she replied, taken aback by his venom.

He didn't answer her, and after picking up the last of the bottles he walked off stiffly past her. She could hear him cursing under his breath as he tightened his black coat around him.

"Huh!" Kagome grumbled. "Some people are so rude!" She shrugged the incident off and continued her walk home.

"Mom! I'm home!" Kagome called when she walked in the door. "Are we having oden for supper?"

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It was a beautiful day. The wind whispered through the leaves of the trees, stirring the branches which sighed softly. Water bubbled cheerfully in a nearby stream, and sunlight glinted off its surface like a multitude of stars. The sun shone brightly, and it was truly an amazing summer day.

White ears twitched towards the direction of an old wooden well, but there were no movements or sounds coming from it – only those made by the wind. A leg jumped up and down restlessly, and a sharp claw tapped the bark of the tree beneath it.

"Keh! Where the hell is that blasted wench?!" Inuyasha growled impatiently. He didn't care about the season or weather – there were far too many other important things to concentrate on. Primarily, his absent shard-detector.

The hanyou's ears folded back for a moment, as he imagined Kagome's reaction to hearing that description of her. It sure wouldn't have been pretty, and would most likely involve a lot of pain, experienced by him. _She sure can be scary when she's angry ... not that I care!_ he added to himself sharply. _It doesn't mean anything to me._ Yet as much as he denied it, he did care about Kagome. Just, maybe, not the way she hoped. Or not enough.

Sure enough, Inuyasha jerked around away from the magic well that he had been staring at, waiting for Kagome to return. He thought that he had smelled another priestess, and one he had such history with. _Kikyo ..._ Inuyasha closed his eyes in frustration when he realised that the smell had not been hers. When Kikyo called, Inuyasha would go ... no matter how much it hurt Kagome. Perhaps that was answer enough, but it didn't mean that he was willing to let her go either.

_Kagome ... Kikyo ..._

"Inuyasha!"

The hanyou looked up when he heard her soft voice, a moment before her scent reached him. _So sweet ..._ He had to stop himself from giving a slight smile when the miko from the future pulled herself out of the well. Her smile as she looked at him made him feel so strange – a kind of contentment that he wasn't accustomed to. As usual when his feelings lead him to some unexplored place, he responded with sarcasm and scorn.

"You're late, wench! What the fuck have you been doing-"

"Sit."

The word was enough to bring him flying out of the tree and slamming into the ground, but Kagome didn't lose her smile. Instead, she hauled a huge bag from out of the well behind her. She saw his nose twitch as he pulled himself out of the hole his fall had created.

"That's right," she said, her grin slightly evil, "You don't have to have any of the _special snacks_ I brought back with me. I'm sure Shippo would love your share ... or maybe Kouga-"

That was enough to rouse the dog demon. Inuyasha leapt up, spluttering and growling at the mention of the wolf demon who was so enamoured with Kagome. _His_ Kagome.

Kagome smiled, and started to walk down to the village with the raving hanyou. Soon she would see the rest of her friends. She glanced sidelong at Inuyasha's sulky face, and suppressed a laugh that would only provoke him more.

_Oh,_ she sighed happily to herself, _I've missed this place. Only a week, but I'm happy to be back. _The small bottle of shards around her neck bounced against her as she walked lightly down the path, shining with the purity of her soul.

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The small image of the miko walking down the path with her hanyou faded into blank nothingness, and Naraku was left with the image of his own face in the small mirror. He narrowed his crimson eyes, and waved the void girl Kanna and her mirror away. He rested his chin on his hand, tapping his finger lightly against his lower lip as his thoughts revolved around the strange girl, Kagome. The reincarnation of Kikyo, who was the ultimate cause for his existence as Naraku.

His foolish human heart did not trouble him about Kagome like it did with Kikyo, but she was an enigma and she intrigued him more than the dead priestess did. In the beginning, she was merely a nuisance – standing in the way of his twisted plans for Inuyasha and Kikyo that would darken the jewel with the power of their hatred. But since then ... her large soul, her affinity with the Shikon no Tama, and her position as a rallying point for her friends had drawn his attention to her more and more. He did not think that she had drawn on all of the powers that were available to her, and if it were not for her seeming incorruptibility he would have put her to use already. She was too pure. So pure that it galled him that she existed – that she resisted so well.

_But I will have my chance. Perhaps I should increase the pressure a little._ Naraku smirked as the image of the innocent miko lingered in his mind's eye. _Her friends cannot protect her forever. She will make a mistake, and when she does ... I will be there, waiting. _

_She won't be much use to them broken._

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Kagome smiled, cuddling Shippo to her chest as she watched the fire throw golden sparks into the air. It was nights like this, when she was surrounded by her friends, sitting with a warm glow against her face and contentedly full from supper, that she missed in her own time. There was nothing else quite like it, especially after a long day of travelling and fighting. She glanced up at the nearby tree, where Inuyasha was sitting up in the branches keeping watch over his little pack. His eyes were closed, his arms folded into the sleeves of the fire-rat clothing. He looked so peaceful, so handsome.

The miko scowled at herself. _Just don't go there, and things will be easier._ Kagome rubbed her temples, feeling a headache building up again. She sighed heavily, trying to remember if she'd brought any headache pills in her medical kit.

Kagome laid the sleeping Kitsune aside, and smiled when he grumbled and turned over. _So sweet._ She started to rustled through her backpack, searching for the bottle of headache tablets. Her fingers closed around something likely, but when she pulled it out and examined it in the firelight, it was a plain brown bottle with no markings, and a number of small pills inside.

_What ... oh, I remember, these are the pills Hojo gave me. The _homoeopathic _pills ... I wonder if they're safe? _She took off the cap and smelled them warily, but there was a distinct lack of vile toad-flavoured odour. In fact, they didn't smell much of anything – slightly sweet, maybe. _Hmm ... should I, shouldn't I, should I, shouldn't I ... _She pictured Hojo's earnest face, and shrugged in resignation. _Might as well try them, then at least I won't have to lie about it._

She swallowed one pill before she could think too long about it, reckoning that one would be safe either way. _Besides, what's the worst that could happen?_ She reasoned with herself, laying down in her sleeping bag and cuddling Shippo as she closed her eyes for sleep. Her head was still pounding, but she was used to sleeping in poor conditions and her eyes soon closed.

In the tree a small distance away, golden eyes watched her every movement. Inuyasha's ears twitched as he listened to her soft sigh as she slipped into sleep. _Kagome ..._ Now his whole band was sleeping, and he could rest as well. He always kept one ear open, of course. The humans' senses were too limited to notice if something came into their camp, so it was up to him to keep watch. The hanyou knew too well how limited human senses were, and he hated thinking of it. The times of the full moon, when his world shrank incomprehensibly into that of a normal human. When he lost the world of sights and scents, of perceptions greater than Kagome could imagine. _She couldn't understand. But she tries._

He huffed softly, and shifted his body, settling himself against the firm bark of the old tree. Inuyasha let his eyes slide shut, enjoying the peaceful quiet that settled over the forest around them. It was a _fuller_ quiet with Kagome back, and his instincts had calmed at the return of what was, to his inu side, an integral member of his pack.

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Quiet, so quiet ... _Too quiet._ It was barely an hour after Kagome had fallen alseep that she was woken roughly by Inuyasha.

"Kagome! Wake up!" the hanyou growled.

"A little longer ..." the miko mumbled, turning over.

"Wench!" Inuyasha shouted, shaking her until she met his eyes. "Do you sense a jewel shard?!"

Kagome stared at him, confused as her mind tried to catch up to his words. But when she realised what he said, and his urgency, she concentrated on that part of her that had a connection with the jewel shards – that part of her that she barely understood.

When she activated her miko senses, the shards around her throat seemed to burst into small, incandescent suns. Kagome gasped, and shaded her eyes against the glow that lit up the area around her and caused a flame to grow inside, warming and burning her.

"Kagome!" Sango cried, seeing her strong reaction but not the source of it.

Miroku frowned as he watched the miko, feeling the glow of the Shikon that Sango couldn't.

"Well?!" Inuyasha demanded, "Is there another shard nearby?" He was oblivious to Kagome's discomfort because there was a strange aura that held his complete attention. And the smell ...

"Naraku!" the hanyou snarled, identifying the vile stench of miasma that only Naraku carried around him.

"No, no other shards." Kagome spoke at last, having stretched her senses past the blinding presence of the shards around her neck. _I have never felt them that strongly ..._ she thought to herself, but even her thoughts felt strange – different somehow. Even her body felt different.

"Quickly!" Inuyasha snapped, and Kagome climbed on to his back. She had barely got a firm grip when he took off with a huge lightning-fast leap. There were two presences ahead, but as they neared the second presence moved off. Inuyasha quickened his pace, and landed in a dark clearing just in time to see Kagura fly off into the distance on one of her feathers. But still there, facing them, was the villain in his baboon-suit. Naraku.

Kagome stumbled as she got off Inuyasha's back, hearing the others land on Kirara just behind them. Her head was spinning, and her body tingled from the feeling of flying through the air. She stared for a moment, fixated, at Inuyasha's ears, with an almost overwhelming urge to touch them taking over her. The colour of his fire-rat clothes seemed brighter somehow.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha spat, pulling his Tetsusaiga from its sheath. Kagome's eyes followed the glowing blade, and she wondered what the fur above the grip felt like. It made her think of Sesshomaru, and the pelt he carried over one shoulder. _I wonder what that is, anyway? So soft ..._

"Here to disturb my business as usual, Inuyasha?" Naraku's voice came from behind the mask. _His voice ... its like dark velvet,_ Kagome thought vaguely.

"Bastard!" the inu shouted, "I'll show you disturbing!"

"Inuyasha," Miroku said warningly, "It's probably just a puppet."

Kagome turned her eyes to the baboon-cloaked figure. Something inside her burned as her miko powers activated again. She could see a clear outline of a wooden doll inside the chest of the creature, confirming that it was a puppet. But she had never seen so clearly before ...

"The wooden outline is inside it's chest." she said in a strange, detached voice, and then laughed softly without being able to stop herself.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Shippo called anxiously from behind Sango.

"Pull yourself together, wench!" Inuyasha ordered sharply. He leapt aside as tentacles burst from beneath the baboon pelt and crashed into the ground where he had been standing. A flash of the great blade cut off tentacle after tentacle, but more replaced those lost.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango shouted, throwing her heavy weapon with deadly accuracy. The puppet dodged aside just in time to avoid it, and again to dodge Miroku's blows. It was a tougher puppet than they had faced before, but it wasn't really any match for them.

"Wind Scar!" Inuyasha slammed his blade into the ground, sending the attack straight for the puppet and incinerating it instantly. The inu grinned ferociously, and it was only a soft gasp that made him turn his head around to look at the young girl from the future.

Kagome's eyes were wide as she stared at the spot where Inuyasha's Wind Scar had been released.

"Kagome?" he asked hesitantly, unsure at her strange expression.

The miko shook her head and smiled at him, feeling more like herself. "Oh, nothing Inuyasha. I just thought the light of your Wind Scar looked pretty."

"Pretty?!" he shouted, angry that she would demean his technique.

She waved her hand at him dismissively, and turned back towards their camp. "Anyway, I'm feeling tired. Can we go back now?"

Inuyasha glared at the female, feeling infuriated by her dismissal, but he let the anger go when he saw her sway slightly. "Stupid weak human," he settled for muttering under his breath, softly enough that she didn't hear him.

"Why do you think Naraku's puppet was out here?" Sango asked Miroku as they followed behind the other two.

"Perhaps he was giving Kagura some new instructions," the monk replied soberly. "Whatever the reason, it can't mean anything good." He stared at the miko's back for a while, frowning in thought and Sango noticed the direction of his gaze.

"Are you worried about Kagome?" she asked him quietly. "She was acting slightly ... strange."

Miroku stared seriously at Kagome's back for a few moments longer, before his eyes inevitably slipped lower. "Hmm."

The demon exterminator didn't take long to notice that the object of his attention had changed. "Hiraikotsu!" she shouted, slamming her weapon into the thick monk's skull. "You pervert!"

Miroku made no reply in his defence ... most probably because he wouldn't be able to speak in coherent sentences for a number of hours longer.

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Kagome stared at the bottle of pills for what must have been the hundredth time. Since their encounter with Naraku's puppet, she couldn't stop thinking about how she had felt during the attack. She had never been so in touch with her miko powers, and she had an idea that the small white tablets in her hand were the reason. _And my headache was gone too. So are they just headache pills? Why do I think that they are something more?_ Perhaps it was the strange emotions that had overtaken her that was making her wary. Sango had quietly taken her aside after Inuyasha had killed the puppet to check that she was alright, and even Shippo had clung closer to her that night.

Inuyasha, as usual, was completely oblivious.

Maybe what was most worrying was how badly she hoped that they actually would help enhance her miko powers.

Kagome was no fool, and she certainly wasn't stupid. She wasn't from this feudal era where women like Sango were the exception, and most were helpless and hid behind their men. If Kagome hated anything, it was being helpless or a burden on those around her. She hated it when she gave Inuyasha reason to save her from her own mistakes.

So the girl from the future took a deep breath, and swallowed another pill.

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A/N: This story has been demanding to be written for a while, and I've resisted as much as I could because there are so many great SessXKags fics out there that I wasn't sure mine would measure up, but ... well ... here it is :) Don't expect them to jump each other right away, or even really soon. I think Sesshomaru needs to thaw out a bit. He's a bit calmer in this fic – I'm blaming Rin for that ;) He'll appear in the next chapter – yay! I have no knowledge of Japan or the proper use of the language so I won't use it very much, and please excuse any mistakes. I hope you'll enjoy this for what it is – an easy-going bit of entertainment, written for my enjoyment and hopefully for yours.

Additional note: I have no experience with drugs and this is not based on reality at all. Purely fictional in all aspects!


	2. Ch2: New & Improved

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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**Chapter 2**

**New & Improved**

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A shrill cry followed by piercing laughter made him wonder again why he permitted such a _loud_ creature to tag along after him. But when a green blur ran screaming past straight into a stream, extinguishing the small flame attached to its rear, he had to suppress a smirk. _Ah, yes. That is the reason._

"Master Jaken! Master Jaken!" a little human girl came running up, her smile widening when she saw him. "Lord Sesshomaru!" She promptly forgot all about her victi-, er, playmate, and moved to stand as close to her lord as she could while still being respectful.

"Rin." he acknowledged her. He met the eyes of the innocent mortal who had joined his company after he had saved her life, and wondered again what had possessed him to not only save her, but continue to protect her. He was a Taiyoukai with no love of humans, and yet ...

"Rin!" his retainer shrieked, having pulled himself out of the stream and looking much the worse for wear after being set on fire and then half-drowned. "You stupid human nuisance! I told you not to play with the fire! You are completely worthless, an excuse for a-"

Jaken was stopped dead by the forbidding look on his lord's face. Of course, it was always difficult for him to tell what his master was thinking, but he'd discovered that it was never anything good when he stared at him just ... like ... that ...

The green toad fell to the ground, worshipping the earth that his lord stood on. "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru! Please forgive me! If there is anything that your lowly servant can do to assist you, such as rid you of this silly human, please -argh-!" His master's boot on his back stopped his anxious tirade.

"Silly master Jaken," Rin giggled as she skipped past him after the inuyoukai with Ah-Un in tow. Rin looked up at her lord's back, and smiled as she watched his silken hair, admiring how handsome he looked. She sighed happily, knowing that, though he may not say it or say much to her at all, he would always protect her.

Sesshomaru's thoughts had already moved on, because he was not one to waste energy or time on things that he was not going to change. Rin was under his protection, as Jaken was, and he did not dwell on why. There were more important things to think about, such as the irritation that was Naraku. He had _dared_ to kidnap Rin and try to use her to take over his body ... he had _dared_ ... _The filthy hanyou will not get away with crossing this Sesshomaru._ And Sesshomaru would be happier, or at least less irritated, if this search didn't mean that he came across his infuriating half-brother so frequently.

Jaken, who was following along quietly behind his master, let the gap between them widen when he felt the killer aura emanating from the inu. He shivered a little, knowing that he didn't want to see the look in Sesshomaru's eyes at that moment, with the red edge that was his feral side straining against iron control. He glanced sideways at the little girl who was skipping along and picking flowers as she went, no doubt for her lord's approval. _Lord Sesshomaru has become more careful of humans since she came along ... he doesn't destroy as many as he used to. I know it isn't because he has become soft, but some may see it that way. He has changed, but still ... that fiend Naraku is going to pay. _Jaken grinned wickedly, thinking of the fury that the disgusting spider hanyou had brought down on himself.

"Hah!" he shouted, unable to contain himself and punching the air at the thought of his lord triumphing, taking his father's sword from that idiot Inuyasha who obviously wouldn't be able to handle Naraku himself, and then acknowledging Jaken for all his years of fine service ...

He fell flat on his back the next moment, when a stone sailed out of nowhere and hit him directly on the forehead. "Ouch". A blurry, spinning, smiling face appeared directly above him.

"Master Jaken, what are you doing on the floor?"

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"Inuyasha, don't you think we should stop?" Sango called after the hanyou. It was evening, and they had been travelling the whole day. She glanced worriedly towards Kagome, but the girl hadn't said a word to call a halt for the night like she normally would.

The miko caught her gaze and smiled serenely. "Don't do it for me, Sango," she said softly. "I'm fine."

"But still," Miroku added, "I think we could all do with a rest, and some food and sleep. It has been a long day."

"Keh. Whatever." Inuyasha scoffed, but Sango saw how he watched Kagome carefully. She hadn't complained once, or fought with him even when he baited her. She seemed more taken up with her own thoughts than what was going on around her.

The demon slayer helped set up the fire once they reached a suitable stopping place. Shippo proudly brought a load of wood (i.e. two pieces), earning himself a lollipop from his adopted mother. He giggled when Kagome picked him up and cuddled him, hugging her back fiercely.

"Is there a spring nearby, Inuyasha?" Sango asked. Her answer was an arm pointing towards a section of the woods because Inuyasha couldn't pull his mouth away from the bowl of ramen long enough to tell her. "Are you coming, Kagome?"

The girl from the future was already holding her cleaning things and fresh clothes, with Shippo attached to one shoulder. Miroku looked at them with lecherous eyes, but declined to comment when he saw Sango's hand was very close to her weapon. Besides, his head hadn't stopped aching from the last time.

Sango had never thought of bathing as anything more than a necessity before she had met Kagome but those times relaxing in the water, especially hot water, watching Shippo floating a yellow duck toy along the surface, were times she would always remember fondly. Kagome would insist on washing her hair with strange-smelling liquid from odd containers, but she preferred it to the smell of the demon guts she was often splashed with.

The best time was when the two girls just lay back, Shippo having left to scrounge food or annoy Inuyasha, and they may or may not talk, just enjoying each other's company.

"Kagome,"

"Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

There was a long pause before the miko replied. "Yes."

"Are you sure? Inuyasha ... he didn't do anything, did he?"

"No." Sango thought that she wasn't going to elaborate, but eventually she continued. "He never really does anything. That's the problem, isn't it? But I think I'm getting over it ... over him. I just want to be a help to you all. And I think I'm going to be able to help much more now." She turned to look at her friend, face earnest. "Don't worry about me, Sango. I may seem to be acting a bit ... odd, but really its for the best. I'm going to help properly from now on."

"Kagome-" Sango began, intending to tell her friend that she always _had_ helped them properly, but Kagome's head snapped around to look towards the far side of the pool.

"Kagome? What is it?" Sango asked, immediately alert and scanning the forest. But she saw nothing.

"Nothing. I thought I saw ... no. It was nothing." Kagome lied. She had seen something. She had seen a flash of white in the trees, and when she opened herself up to her miko powers she had to force herself not to react outwardly. _His aura ... its immense! It has to be Sesshomaru, but what is he doing here? Inuyasha is going to sense him in the next moment. We better get back before they meet up and start fighting again._

"Let's get back. I'm turning into a raisin." Kagome commented, ignoring Sango's puzzled look at her words.

They scrambled back to camp in time to see a furious Inuyasha facing up to an expressionless Sesshomaru. Their entrance only got the brief glance from the dog demon, and a shy wave from the little human girl who travelled with him.

"Hello, Rin!" Kagome called to the girl. "Lord Sesshomaru," she acknowledged the youkai politely, determined that there would be no conflict. Sesshomaru had his own reasons for going after Naraku, and she doubted that he would hurt them. It didn't make him less dangerous, but it would do.

"Wench!" Inuyasha shouted at her, "Why the fuck are you being so polite to this bastard?! What the hell are you doing?!?"

The last furious exclamation was because she had walked between the two brothers.

Kagome had to look quite far up to meet Sesshomaru's eyes. The inu watched her impassively, while still giving the impression that he could kill her in a second. The miko gave him a small smile, thinking that any man who looked after such an adorable child like Rin must have more beneath the surface than he showed. _He really is gorgeous._

"Lord Sesshomaru, we haven't seen any sign of Naraku since Inuyasha killed one of his puppets a week ago. We think he had been giving Kagura some kind of instructions, but other than that we don't know any more." Kagome realised that she had tensed up, and tried to relax her body while she waited to see whether he would reply.

Her only answer was a slight inclination of his head, before the Taiyoukai turned to leave.

"Wait!" she bit out, unable to stop herself. Sesshomaru stopped, but didn't turn to look at her. Everyone seemed to have frozen, as if expecting him to turn around and kill her. He had tried it before. Kagome hesitated, and then pulled herself together with a deep breath. "You can stay here if you like, or at least leave Rin with us for the night. It's rather late, and I've got some food for her. We'd love to have her with us."

Sesshomaru turned back, meeting her eyes again. It felt like he could see right through her, and when he narrowed his eyes she almost stopped breathing. But finally he nodded his head minutely.

"That is acceptable." he replied, and Kagome was surprised that he'd deigned to answer her.

Rin walked over to her, shy at first but not for long. Kagome had seen her only a few times, and barely spoken to her. But she could see she was a sweet girl, and it didn't take Shippo long to start making eyes at her. She _was_ very pretty.

"Would you like some food, Rin?" she asked the little girl, smiling down at her.

"Yes, please!" Rin replied, grinning up at the miko. She ran quickly up to Sesshomaru, beaming up at him. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru! For letting Rin stay with Kagome!" She then ran back to the fire, sitting next to Shippo and casting shy looks his way. Sango soon moved to help Kagome prepare some food, and Miroku settled a short way away from the fire. They had been on alert, but Kagome had neatly diffused the situation. Surprisingly even Sesshomaru settled himself against a tree further away from their camp, closing his eyes. Jaken had sat down, grumbling at Ah-Uh.

It was only Inuyasha left gaping at the sudden change in the situation, and the feeling that Kagome had completely undermined him.

His mouth opened and closed a few times, as he tried to digest the fact that his hated half-brother was sitting only metres away.

"WHAT THE FU-!" the hanyou started to roar, but he was pulled up short. Rather, he was slammed down – straight into the ground. It pretty much felt like the ground leapt up and hit his face.

"Sit, Inuyasha." Kagome said sternly, not looking up from pouring an eager-looking Rin a bowl of ramen. "You should know better than to swear in front of the children."

Miroku could have sworn that he saw the corner of Sesshomaru's mouth twitch.

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A while later, Kagome pulled the blankets closer around the two sleeping children. Rin had started nodding off in front of the fire, and had not complained when Kagome had shooed her to bed. Shippo as well had been fighting sleep, and they looked so adorable together. Miroku was talking softly to Sango, who was sitting a safe distance away from wandering hands. Inuyasha had retreated to a tree-branch where he had been muttering non-stop until a few moments ago, when she had hushed him in case he woke the children.

Now he was just scowling at the world in general.

Kagome couldn't stop herself from glancing towards Sesshomaru. He was still resting against the tree, and hadn't stirred at all. While his eyes were closed, she allowed herself a moment to admire the magenta stripes adorning his cheekbones. _I wonder ... do they feel different from ..._ She pulled herself up short. _I can't think about _him_! Pull yourself together, Kagome!_

She held her hand up to rub her eyes, and noticed how it was shaking. She was feeling very cold, and knew what it meant. The miko had learnt very quickly what happened when she resisted taking another pill.

She rummaged in her backpack, pulling out the bottle from where she hid it and took one quickly. Kagome hugged herself until the shaking stopped, thankful that no one seemed to notice. She pulled herself into her bed, feeling exhausted. She was pretty sure that Sesshomaru wouldn't try kill them while she slept, and hoped that Inuyasha would keep his feud to himself. _He acts like such a child sometimes. But then again, Sesshomaru hasn't proved to be the friendliest of demons. And he hates humans. Or he did. _

She closed her eyes, running away from the thought that was pursuing her, laughing at her attempts to distract herself. _The pills ... the pills ... They're just for headaches. There's nothing wrong with me._

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Sesshomaru was finding that Inuyasha's group was more interesting than he thought ... or vaguely amusing, at least. The monk was obviously lacking in some of his mental capacities. His persistence with groping his female companions, and the demon slayer in particular, went beyond all forms of understanding. It was obvious to the inuyoukai that the two desired each other, and their strange human customs seemed bizarre. But he had to respect the woman's proficient handling of her large weapon.

The nekoyoukai was inconsequential. The little fox kit was not worth much attention, except for a sharp eye when he got too close to Rin. They were just children, but still ... He merited a close watch for any misbehaviour.

His half-brother was, of course, a complete incompetent idiot. It was obvious that he wasn't the real leader of the group – more like the protector and general fool. And that comment led him to the real quandary. The miko.

There was far more to the girl than he had realised. Her inappropriate dress, strange manner of speech, and odd belongings were just part of a bigger picture. He had to admit to rather enjoying seeing Inuyasha being slammed into the ground. It seemed fitting, somehow. _But there is something wrong with her._

He could tell from the moment she'd come close enough. Her scent had changed, and she seemed almost sick, like she had been poisoned. The Taiyoukai had seen her shaking, and seen her swallow some small object. From his small experience of humans, it wasn't normal. But as long as no harm came to Rin, and she did not bother him, he didn't care. He could see that the company was good for the little girl, so he would tolerate it. For now.

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Kagome was forced awake reluctantly. She was still tired ... so tired ... But a sharp pain in her chest snapped her completely out of sleep. The miko lurched up, her hand pressed against her breast over her heart.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked questioningly, knowing instantly that something wasn't right.

Kagome knew it too. She looked towards Sesshomaru, and the inu had moved from his position against the tree. He was standing, facing east. It was barely dawn, but as soon as Inuyasha spoke Miroku and Sango roused.

The girl winced as another sharp pain blazed through her. "Two corrupted jewel shards..." she managed to tell the hanyou. "That way!" It was the same direction Sesshomaru was looking.

Immediately the group leapt to action. Kirara transformed, Sango leaping on her back. Inuyasha didn't even wait for Kagome, who was glad of it. She took advantage of their inattention, rummaging in her backpack and swallowing another tablet. She raced after them.

Sesshomaru had spoken a brief order to Jaken, and followed shortly behind Inuyasha. It galled him to appear to be following the hanyou, but he would allow him to rush into danger stupidly. As usual. The humans were a while behind, with the miko following last. _Weak. All of them._

He was unsurprised to see one of Naraku's puppets ahead, having first caught hint of its scent when they were at camp. Inuyasha had stopped for a moment to glare fiercely at his enemy, and Sesshomaru paused as well. The demon-slayer and monk on the nekoyoukai arrived next, but the puppet made no move.

"Just another fucking puppet, eh?" Inuyasha spat. "Where the hell is Naraku?! I wanna give that stinking bastard what's coming to him!"

The puppet chuckled evilly with Naraku's smooth, dark voice. "Well, well, well. Sesshomaru _and_ Inuyasha? How unexpected, and fortunate. I thought I would only be getting rid of one nuisance today."

Sesshomaru said nothing, but the slight tensing of his frame showed his readiness and rage. _Filthy hanyou ... he shall see what awaits him when I destroy his puppet. He shall not take this Sesshomaru so lightly._

But of course Inuyasha always had something to say. He drew his sword viciously, revelling in its transformation. He snarled at the puppet, ready to race forward at any instant. But then, unexpectedly, he laughed. "You shit-for-brains, like you could ever get rid of _me_!" The hanyou swung his sword, slamming it into the ground forcefully. "_Wind Scar_!!"

The blaze of power raced towards the puppet, but it didn't move. The blast slammed into it, and in the glare none of them could see the result. Inuyasha was already gloating, though he stayed alert. It was a good thing he did.

"Move." Sesshomaru ordered shortly. He darted to the side, and the rest obeyed – even Inuyasha. A giant tentacle lashed out, crashing into the ground where they had been standing.

"What the fuck?!" the hanyou shouted furiously. When the dust cleared, he was taken aback to see the puppet standing in the same place as before – unharmed. Furthermore, there wasn't only one puppet in baboon-skin, but four. "What the hell is going on here?" Inuyasha growled.

"They have shields!" Miroku shouted to him, dodging another tentacle. "You can't use the Wind Scar, Inuyasha!"

"Do you like my new, improved servants?" one puppet asked, amused. "Let us see how you handle yourselves."

The puppets separated, two heading towards Sesshomaru, one towards Inuyasha and the other to Sango and Miroku standing with Kirara. The creatures appeared harmless, until dozens of thick, powerful tentacles burst out from under the baboon-suits. They lashed out in every direction, regrowing as soon as any were sliced. They were also much, much faster than they looked.

Sesshomaru drew his sword, and the humans would barely have been able to track his movements if they had had the time to even look. Inuyasha was trying to bash his puppet, but it was dodging his attacks and coming far too close to getting him. The half-brothers had littered the ground with tentacles, but more merely took their place or were reattached and when Inuyasha tried his Wind Scar again it still had no effect, and he didn't get a moment to try the Backlash Wave. Every time he moved back to make the space to attempt it, the blasted puppet would follow.

It was this situation that Kagome found when she finally arrived on the scene.

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	3. Ch3: The Warning

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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**Chapter 3**

**The Warning**

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Kagome ran frantically through the forest after her companions, cursing Inuyasha's habit of racing into danger. _I hope they are alright! It could only be Naraku that causes both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru to come charging this way ... not that Sesshomaru was actually _charging_ – more like gliding, really ... FOCUS Kagome! Why would Naraku be here? Its strange for us to find him again so quickly, even if it is just a puppet. What is going on? Why would his puppet have two jewel shards?_

She finally reached the edge of the clearing, to see all of her friends fighting some super-puppets that were definitely improvements on the last batch. The blaze of the shards told her immediately where they were hiding, burning her eyes with their powerful glow.

"Inuyasha!" she shouted, "The puppet you're fighting has a jewel shard in its neck! The other one is in one of the puppets fighting Sesshomaru!"

"What the hell took you so long?!" Inuyasha replied, angry at being forced to dodge ceaseless blows. At some points, he'd been lucky not to be hit. "Stay out of the way!"

His typical thoughtlessness shouldn't have hurt so much. _I'm not helpless!_ she shouted to herself, forcing tears from her eyes. _I'm not worthless! I can help them!_ She lifted her bow, stringing an arrow with a practised hand, but when she tried to get a good aim on any of the puppets she realised how hopeless it was. They were all moving too fast, and with her aim she was as likely to hit an ally as an enemy. Even Sesshomaru appeared to be having difficulties, as he could cut off the tentacles easily enough, and had destroyed the one puppet, but the main body of the puppets' that contained the jewel shards were blocked by a shield the likes of which she had never seen before.

Kagome allowed herself a moment of despair, before focussing on her miko powers. _Maybe I can call the jewel shards._ _My powers must be able to do _something

She tried to focus on that part of herself that she knew so little about. It was easier to find since she'd started taking those pills, and seemed stronger somehow. The glow of the jewel shards around her neck and in the two puppets intensified, until it felt like it was burning her soul. Kagome grasped her chest at the sudden cold darkness that flooded through her when she tried to connect to the corrupted shards.

Her mind suddenly cleared, wiped of her emotions and sharpened to crystal clarity. She stood straight, drawing her bow once more. The second puppet without the shard had been destroyed, and only two remained. She aimed at the one attacking Inuyasha, tracking it as they leapt and clashed in the air. Unnaturally focussed, she released her arrow sharply and the wood blazed with a massive amount of purification powers.

The arrow seemed to be headed straight for Inuyasha, carrying sure death for any demon, or half-demon, to come in its path.

"Inuyasha!" Sango shouted a warning, seeing the danger headed straight for him. But he didn't even have the time to turn when the arrow was inches away. It blazed past, a hair away from his neck, and slammed straight through the puppet's barrier, cracking it and plunging into its neck and the cut-out controlling it.

There was a moment when no one seemed to breathe, as if they were hypnotised by the sparkling dust of the barrier fading away, or the glint of the now purified jewel shard as it fell through the air, landing on the empty baboon-skin.

Inuyasha stared at the empty skin, that had until moments ago contained his opponent. He raised a hand to his neck, where he had felt the arrow pass and singe a few fragments of his hair. The hanyou turned to look, more than half-expecting another miko to be standing holding a bow. But no. It wasn't Kikyo. It was the helpless miko from the future, staring at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"_Kagome?!_" he whispered, unable to hide the disbelief in his voice. Like a blow, he could see the pain of his words and their implication hit her. She pulled back a little, recoiling from him. Inuyasha immediately regretted them, but he couldn't take them back. He could only respond in the way he knew how.

"Are you trying to fucking _kill me_?!" he shouted at her, furious and guilty.

Her lowered head and downcast eyes only made him feel worse, wrenching at a place in his heart that he knew nothing about. _But she almost hit me! She almost purified me! How the hell did she shoot such a strong blast?_

A movement in the corner of his eyes suddenly screamed danger. He looked up, to see in horror that the remaining puppet was heading towards Kagome at full speed. He wouldn't be able to reach her in time, he wouldn't be able to ...

"KAGOME!" he roared in desperation.

The miko looked up, her startled eyes seeing at last the puppet coming towards her. She winced, knowing that she wouldn't be able to dodge in time especially with a tentacle reaching out before the puppet, aimed straight for her.

But there was a white flash, and a sword whistled through the air, slicing off the tentacle but the puppet was still coming. A strong arm around her waist drew her to one side out of the way of the puppet's first rush. Kagome held out her hand in warding, and to the surprise of everyone around her, purification powers blazed outwards to rip through the creature's barrier and its body.

Once again, there was a shocked silence in the clearing. Kagome moved to take a step forward, and after tightening minutely the arm let her go. The miko stared down at the baboon-suit, and reached down to pick up the jewel shard glittering on the ground. She saw Inuyasha standing with Sango, Miroku and Kirara, all staring at her dumb-founded. She turned around slowly to see her rescuer.

Sesshomaru looked down at her, expressionless as always. She knew that it would be pointless to ask him why he had helped her, but she was intending to when the world started spinning. Kagome fell forward, almost in slow motion. Her chest was burning, and her head _ached_, and everything seemed so dark. But again, an arm caught her. Her fingers clenched weakly against soft fur and hard metal, her face pressing against a firm clothed shoulder. She breathed in deeply, her vision slowly darkening. But somehow, she felt safe.

"Mm." she murmured, turning her head against the shoulder to press her cheek into silky fluff. "Smell nice." And her world went dark.

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Sesshomaru stared down at the unconscious girl slumped against him, with her face buried in the fur over his shoulder. She was so small, so fragile, and yet ... His eyes wandered to the two empty baboon-skins. _She has power. But still ... something is not right. _He breathed in her scent, and noted again that strange sickly smell overlaying her normal sweet freshness.

He had no time to think on it further, because his half-brother had marched up and was standing far too close. The Taiyoukai's hand was itching for his sword, but he was still having to hold up the damn human woman.

Inuyasha was breathing heavily, baring his teeth with his shoulders hunched and his fists continuously clenching and unclenching. All he wanted to do was rip his damn brother to pieces for even touching _his_ Kagome ... and it didn't matter that the fucking bastard had saved her! The hanyou opened his mouth, ready to rage, but Sesshomaru spoke first.

"Remove this mortal from my person." Inuyasha stared at Sesshomaru, completely at a loss for words.

Sesshomaru made a movement, as though he was going to drop the miko, and Inuyasha leapt forward to take her from him. The hanyou held her carefully, like she was a porcelain doll, and spared a moment to make sure she was okay before he looked up to shit on his brother again.

But Sesshomaru was already walking away.

"You fuck!" Inuyasha shouted, furious and frustrated. "Don't you treat her like that!" He paused a moment, waiting for a response, but the youkai didn't even miss a step.

Inuyasha glared after him, feeling the familiar fury his brother always left him with. That hopeless, useless, insignificant feeling, as he was left watching his half-brother's perfect back.

"Don't you walk away from me!"

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Sango was sitting with her when she woke up. Kagome struggled to sit up, coughing harshly.

"Don't move too quickly!" the demon-slayer tried to stop her. Sango's eyes were wide with concern as she watched her too-pale friend.

"Its okay," Kagome tried to smile. "I'm alright, Sango. Really."

"Kagomeeee!" An anxious cry came from her little adopted son, as the fox came bounding up but stopped short from throwing himself at her. "Are you alright? I was so worried, Kagome!"

The girl gathered the kit close, hugging him tightly. "I'm okay, Shippo. Don't worry."

"Are you hungry, Kagome?" Miroku came up to the little group, holding out a bowl of food, which she took gratefully.

"Thanks, Miroku." Kagome took a few bites of the meal, but she didn't have much. It wasn't food that she was craving. If only she could take a chance to get to her backpack ... but everyone was hovering around ...

"Kagome ... you were amazing," Sango began hesitantly. The miko was confused, until her memories started flooding back. The fight ... her arrow ... the moment she almost died ... her saviour ...

She looked around at once, searching for the youkai she owed her life to. She only caught a glimpse of him when a looming red figure stood in the way. Kagome could see how worried Inuyasha was, and knew he didn't know how to express it. He was angry at himself for upsetting her, and that made him angry at everyone. But when she thought about his face after she'd shot that arrow ... that sincere disbelief at her _ever_ being good enough to do that ... She winced at the memory, and was instantly leapt on from all sides at this possible sign of what they thought was physical pain.

"Kagome ... are you really alright?" Inuyasha asked her softly. His gold eyes were so pleading, so full of sorrow, that she couldn't be upset with him. So she smiled weakly back at the hanyou, forgiveness given freely.

"Don't worry, Inuyasha. I'm alright."

The inu huffed, pretending not to care about her answer. "Good. Because I'm getting tired of having to worry about saving your ass."

The sudden pain of his thoughtless comment cut to her heart. She thought that she was going to start crying then and there, after being once again the one that had to be saved. The _helpless_ one ...

"It is a wonder that any of these mortals are yet living." A smooth, dry voice interrupted her descent to despair.

Inuyasha immediately tensed, whirling around to face his half-brother. "What's that supposed to mean?" he growled.

Sesshomaru was looking up to one side, as if thinking to himself, and then turned to look at his brother. "If it were left up to _you _to save them, then they would all be dead. You are so horribly incompetent that it is a wonder you are even still living. If only Father could see what a hopeless wretch he left his fang to, I would get what is rightfully mine."

Kagome's hand went to cover her mouth, but not the horrified gasp the others might have thought she was repressing – she was trying not to laugh. The mighty Sesshomaru was so obviously taunting his brother, and Inuyasha was practically frothing at the mouth. She was caught by the sudden image of a much younger pair, teasing and fighting constantly. Even if it had never happened, she could just _picture_ the cute, aloof Sesshomaru mocking the younger, raging Inuyasha and an exasperated mother having to intervene.

They weren't children, but Kagome still had to act as a mother of some sorts when Inuyasha started snarling expletives.

"Inuyasha!" she reprimanded, "Don't swear in front of the children!"

The hanyou turned around to snap back at her, but paused when he saw the warning in her eyes. "Don't make me say it!" she threatened.

"Stupid wench," he growled, backing down. If there was one thing he hated more than backing down in front of his brother, it was being forced to back down by ending up with a mouthful of dirt.

Kagome gave an uncharacteristic smirk when he turned away, and suddenly found herself meeting the Taiyoukai's eyes. She was instantly caught by those sharp golden eyes, and found herself wondering why he had chosen that moment to pick a fight with Inuyasha. Had he known that she had been upset? Why would he have cared? She was overcome by memories of digging her fingers into his armour and soft pelt, of pressing her cheek against his shoulder ... of saying ... _No ... I didn't say that, did I?! I didn't tell _Sesshomaru_ that he ... that he _smelled_ nice?!_

She flushed bright pink with embarrassment just at the memory of it, of practically _throwing_ herself at him. Well, she'd fallen because she'd kind of fainted, but still. She had to break eye contact, looking down to her lap where her hands were nervously twisting around the material of her skirt. _Pull yourself together, Kagome. Just thank him for saving your life. That's all you need to say, but you _need_ to say it._

The miko looked back up, but Sesshomaru was already walking away. Everyone else was distracted – she wouldn't get another chance. So she took a deep breath, and got up to chase after him.

He had just entered the forest when Kagome reached him. "Sesshomaru!" The inuyoukai stopped, and slowly turned to gaze down at her with his usual, impassive expression. She had to force herself to continue breathing calmly. He wasn't the least intimidating youkai she had ever come across, after all.

Her hands fidgeted anxiously, but otherwise she managed to hide her feelings.

"Thank you, L-lord Sesshomaru." she said softly, stumbling a little over the title. "For saving my life." Kagome added when he didn't reply, just in case he didn't get the point. But still, he didn't say anything. "Ummm, and I'm sorry for, kind of, like, falling on you ... I didn't mean to. Really. And for saying ..." she blushed, and decided to shut up. The silence grew louder, more uncomfortable. The girl giggled nervously, raising a hand to brush at her hair. "Well, I'll be going now!"

But as she was lowering her arm, his hand snapped out and grabbed hold of her wrist. The miko froze uncertainly, because he wasn't hurting her. The youkai's thumb brushed over her pulse, and she suddenly realised that he was checking her heart rate. She tried to snatch her hand back, but his claws tightened warningly against her skin.

"What are you-" she began, but stopped when he shook his head sharply at her.

"Look." His eyes directed her to look down at her own hand, and she had no choice but to obey. She watched her own hand shake uncontrollably in his grip, a shaking she had been trying so hard to hide.

"What you are doing to yourself – you will stop." he said to her shortly, with a stern warning in his voice. It was nothing other than an order, and he finally let her wrist go slowly.

Kagome held both hands to her chest, trying to force them to stop shaking by physical effort alone, but it didn't. Moisture gathered in her eyes, threatening to fall as tears down her cheeks but she held them back. The craving was so huge, so much larger than her ... it was a being all to itself, and it _hungered_.

"I can't." she said in a small voice. "You don't understand."

"You are poisoning yourself. There is nothing more to understand."

"No!" she denied vehemently, remembering all the reasons she used to explain everything away to herself. "It ... It makes me stronger! My powers ... it's worth it. There's nothing wrong with me."

Sesshomaru appeared to grow larger, fiercer, looming over her without taking a step. He seemed about to threaten her again, when he suddenly whirled around and stalked away. His stiff back spoke volumes about his rage at her stupidity, but he said no more.

Kagome suddenly remembered that she had stored a pill in her pocket, and she started scrabbling frantically for it. Thoughts of Sesshomaru's warning slipped away, and her calm and relaxed smile slowly returned as she wandered back to camp.

A movement in the bushes a short distance away, a small flying creature making its exit, completely escaped her notice.

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Kagura happened to be with Naraku when one of his little spies returned. The bee-like creature buzzed menacingly, with eyes only for its master. The hanyou stared raptly into the distance as he assimilated the images the creature was sending him. It was when he started to laugh softly, viciously gleeful, that she began to worry. All the wind witch wanted to do was take a step back, turn around and leave this wretched creature forever ... but he held her heart, and enjoyed watching the agony on her face when he squeezed it tightly in his claws.

"Oh, my little miko ..." he spoke at last, and his eyes when he turned to look at his servant were smouldering with dark anticipation. "It seems the chance we have been waiting for has arrived, Kagura. The miko will be _mine_." That last word dripped with possessive fanaticism.

"Kikyo?" she asked, confused. That was the miko he had always been after.

"No," he spat derisively. "_Kagome_." Naraku savoured the syllables of her name.

Kagura was still confused. Kagome had resisted all of Naraku's many attempts to turn her to his will. That evil miko had failed at taking over her body, Kikyo had failed at taking her soul, and even Kanna had been unable to steal it. Her soul was unusual, so large, and so pure ... there was no way that she would do anything Naraku said. She was the type who would rather die than betray her friends. Not that Kagura understood that way of thinking.

"How?"

Naraku smiled deviously. "She's already placed the means in my path. Her sudden increase in skill was not coincidental ... I knew there had to be something more. And now I have it, the thing that will control her. Just one more step, and she will have no choice but to turn to me ... or die."

The spider hanyou waved his incarnation away, and Kagura was happy to leave. Naraku needed time to think exactly how best to approach this opportunity that the fates had presented. He could picture her, the miko's wide and innocent dark eyes, the look on her face when she realised that _he_ held all the cards ... There were so many ways he could turn this to his benefit – turning the tables on that nuisance Inuyasha, and the more dangerous obstacle presented by his half-brother. Kagome would prove useful in his search for the final shards ... _I can't wait ... I can't wait to _break_ her ..._

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A/N: Sorry for the delay – feeling a bit discouraged about this. Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

PS: Happy New Year:)


	4. Ch4: Falling

Disclaimer: I don't own anything worth near as much money as Inuyasha must be ... sigh.

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**Chapter 4**

**Falling**

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Kagome was rolling on the grass, barely able to breathe she was laughing so hard. Sango tried to appear stern, but it wasn't long before she dissolved into laughter as well, and Miroku was doing a bad job of hiding his own smile. To understand exactly what had the three so amused, and a mud-covered Inuyasha ready to blow a gasket, all you had to do was factor into the picture two young, mischievous children.

When Rin and Shippo had arrived back in camp covered from head to toe with mud and looking only slightly sheepish, Kagome had been ready with a gentle scolding.

"Shippo, I expect you to take better care of Rin than this! Her lovely kimono ..." she stared at the once-pretty embroidered kimono sadly. There was no way she would be able to clean it properly ... Hopefully Jaken had some others ...

"Its okay, Kagome!" Shippo said quickly, not wanting her to be disappointed in him. "All I have to do to get rid of the mud is this ...!" He released his spinning top, using his fox magic to make it grow larger. The little fox kit jumped on it before Kagome could stop him, and he certainly got rid of the mud ... it went flying in all directions, and specifically hit a dozing Inuyasha with a huge wad ... right in the face.

"You stinkin' brat!" the hanyou finally roared, furious at Shippo and at all the others for finding it so amusing. He lunged forward, and although Shippo had fast reflexes when it came to dodging Inuyasha, his trip on the spinning top had set his head whirling and he couldn't avoid the angry hanyou.

Inuyasha started trying to throttle the little fox kit, and the miko wiped tears of laughter and some mud off her face and jumped to Shippo's defence. She grabbed him back from Inuyasha, glaring at the hanyou warningly.

"It was just an accident, Inuyasha. It's only mud – and its time for everyone to have a wash anyway. I don't care what you say, but bathing every few weeks is just unhealthy and disgusting."

Miroku perked up, only to be whacked on the side of the head by the demon slayer. "Bathing _separately_, you pervert!" Sango growled.

"Rin, do you have other clothes?" Kagome asked her.

Rin smiled adorably. "Rin will ask Master Jaken!" She ran off to the toad demon and their carrier beast, Ah-Un. Sesshomaru still kept his part of the band a bit separate from them, but Rin didn't seem to feel uncomfortable running between the two parties. Kagome could see that deplorable toad scolding her, but Rin didn't even seem to take notice.

Kagome couldn't help the way her eyes drifted to another white-haired dog demon. The youkai was watching his charge running around with a bright and happy smile. That was Rin, not Sesshomaru. Kagome couldn't imagine _him_ with a 'bright and happy smile'. It would probably make him look even more gorgeous, though ... everything did. She looked down at her trembling hands, and wondered how long it would take for everyone else to notice, if he already had. Then again, Miroku and Sango only really had eyes for each other, Inuyasha was so dense, and Shippo was too caught up in playing with Rin. Perhaps no one would notice that their resident miko was acting strange. Even her massive increase in power and skill had only gleaned positive comments, and few questions.

_Why did he even ask me about it? Was he ... worried? No. It was probably just a warning. I guess I'm kind of a part of his 'group' now, too. Or more likely it was just self-interest, checking that I'm not going to go crazy and try blast every youkai within 100 metres._ She shivered, thinking how her sanity threatened to break every time she tried to resist taking the pills. _Maybe he wasn't far wrong in being worried. I'm not the most stable at the moment. _

The miko reached for her towel and bathing suit, tucking a pill in her pocket at the same time to take when she was out of his sight. The feeling of Sesshomaru glaring disapprovingly at her back was not a pleasant experience.

The majority of the camp trooped off to separate hot springs. Kagome sent a whining Shippo with the boys, and kept Rin with her and Sango. It was so relaxing she didn't want to leave, but she could see that Rin was battling not to fall asleep so Kagome dragged herself out of the delicious heat of the water. Sango's eyes were darting from side to side as they made their way back to the camp from the spring.

"Anything wrong?" Kagome asked her friend quietly.

Sango frowned, before shrugging it off. "Probably just my imagination ... or Miroku trying to sneak a look."

They arrived back just after the boys, in time to catch some of the spray as Inuyasha shook more water out of his hair. "Agh! Inuyasha! Do that somewhere else!" Kagome shrieked, but she had to laugh at the hanyou. His hair was standing up at all angles, and he looked just like a semi-drowned dog.

Inuyasha huffed, turning away from the giggling human and folding his arms irritably. "Stupid wench." he grumbled, surreptitiously trying to comb his claws through his hair.

Kagome busied herself getting Rin and Shippo ready for bed. After reading them two stories, and a third followed after more begging and cajoling, they were finally asleep. The girl from the future smiled down at the children, making sure they were covered properly with a blanket – the nights here were so much colder than at home.

Kagome finally went to her own bed, reaching into her backpack for one more tablet before she went to sleep ... but her hand didn't find the familiar shape anywhere. An irrational fear suddenly hit her, constricting her chest painfully. Her search turned frantic, emptying everything from the pack and rustling through all the hundreds of pockets, even through she knew she hadn't moved it. Her eyes darted towards the direction of a certain inuyoukai, but Sesshomaru wasn't even there. He'd left on his cloud when they had gone to the spring – she'd seen him leave.

_Maybe ... maybe I took the bottle with me by mistake to the spring ... that must be it! I have to find it!_ Kagome glanced around, but Miroku and Sango were deep in conversation and Inuyasha wouldn't stop her – he'd think she was heading off to the bathroom. Besides, he was pretending to ignore her after she'd laughed at him.

Sure enough, she saw his ears twitch when she got up, but he didn't turn around to question her. Kagome took her chance, making her way unobtrusively to the forest edge and a good way in before taking off at a run towards the spring.

_Oh, please let them be there! Please! I ... I need ..._ She stumbled a number of times, but didn't stop in her desperation. Already the shaking was starting in earnest, and the craving growing stronger.

Kagome burst into the clearing around the pool, barely sparing a moment to notice the cloud of steam over the hot water and over the ground around it. She muttered a curse when she realised how much harder it was going to make her search, but fell to her knees around the area where she thought she'd put her things while bathing. The miko started searching frantically, hands skidding over the grass.

She must have been at it for a least a minute when her hand brushed past something that wasn't a rock. Kagome froze, uncertain.

A rattling noise came from above, and she strained to see what was causing the sound. But as the steam cleared a little, her heart stopped in her breast.

"Are you looking for something?" The disembodied voice was smooth, like rich velvet. But the amusement in it didn't bode well for her, especially considering its source.

Kagome scrabbled backwards, getting to her feet awkwardly – but all she could think of was how far away she was from any kind of weapon, and how far away she wanted to be from those eyes ... those crimson, evil eyes ...

"I wouldn't take another step back, if I were you," Naraku smirked.

The miko glanced at the water lapping at her heels. The spring behind her, Naraku in front ... she didn't have anywhere else to go. She opened her mouth, ready to scream for Inuyasha even though she knew he was too far away to get there in time ...

But the spider hanyou held up a small bottle, rattling the pills inside again and her attention was caught. The craving leapt up, grasping her soul in its gritty claws. "What do you want?" she forced the words out, keeping her body still even though she wanted to leap at the hand that held those tablets.

Naraku's smile revealed his perfect white teeth, with the canines that were slightly too sharp. "I think the real crux is about what _you _want, my dear Kagome. Or more specifically, what you are willing to do for something you want ... something only I have ..."

"You don't have anything I want," she lied, her eyes betraying her.

Naraku watched with great interest as her craving intensified. The way her hands clenched into fists unable to hide their shaking, the way her eyes tracked every movement of the bottle, the way her tongue moved to moisten her lips. He was in no hurry, but she obviously was. He could draw out her agony as long as he wished ... and it was that type of control that Naraku desired, that he lived for.

"Then you will have no objection if I throw this interesting little container in the water ..." he taunted her.

"No!" Kagome couldn't stop the strangled cry from leaving her lips. She lowered her head in defeat, feeling despair as a wave crash over her heart. But those feelings could barely drown out the roaring of her _need_. She'd started sweating, and her heart laboured in her chest. Each breath only brought more pain.

Naraku smiled contentedly. "Well. Now your foolish denial is out of the way, we can get to business." He wandered closer, noting with satisfaction her lowered eyes, the way she made no effort to avoid him. His hand reached out, fingers trailing over the edge of her jaw, down her neck to rest just above the glass bottle around her neck within which the jewel shards glowed, pink and pure. "You have what I want, I have what you want ... I think we can come to some kind of understanding, don't you agree?"

Kagome jerked away from him stiffly. "Don't touch me," she hissed, eyes flashing. If anything her spirit only pleased him more. It meant that there was that much more to break. But she stumbled as she moved away, and he took pleasure in catching her.

The miko shuddered when he pulled her back against his chest – at the feeling of his dark, twisted aura crawling across her skin. Her miko powers started to surface, but he shook her roughly. "Don't test me," he growled in her ear, tightening his arm painfully around her waist.

Kagome tried to suppress them, but her shaking was getting worse and her vision started to blur. She was starting to lose control. "I ... I can't ... I need ..." she gasped, shivering uncontrollably and feeling the fire start to burn white-hot inside her skin.

Then Naraku's fingers were pressing a pill against her lips, and she was swallowing ... and the fire was calming ...

Kagome slowly relaxed in his hold, and the hanyou allowed himself a moment to savour the feeling of her slight body pressed against his. He enjoyed thinking about how she would torture herself for allowing this, her guilt as she would lie to all her friends and especially Inuyasha while remembering that she had allowed him to hold her like this.

Kagome shuddered as Naraku's hand slipped up her body to grip her chin, turning it to the side so that she could see his face at her shoulder. "Don't touch me," she whispered, trying to ignore how his other hand was caressing her waist, how she was allowing _Naraku_, Kikyo and Kohaku's killer, to _touch _her ... The hanyou was too close, he was leaning too close with his eyes watching her lips ...

Kagome yanked herself away, forcing him to let go with weak sparks of her purification powers. "Don't you dare touch me, you bastard!" She watched him warily, ready to leap away.

Naraku walked slowly back up to her, smiling, but his expression changed in an instant and his hand moved too fast for her to react. He slapped her hard across the face, sending her falling to the ground. Kagome raised a hand to her cheek, brushing moisture from her lips. Her fingers were smeared with her own blood, and she could only stare up at her abuser. A fear she had never before felt rose up, choking her and drawing tears to her eyes. Suddenly this nightmare had become very real.

"You will find that defying me will prove far more painful, Kagome." Naraku snarled. He ripped the bottle of shards from her throat, removing the most recent additions and leaving her only with enough to defy suspicion. The shards, as they fell into his palm, were instantly clouded with the blackness of his soul. Kagome felt the loss of purity as a pain in her own heart.

He threw a few pills at her feet, and she was disgusted with the way she scrabbled to pick them all up. Naraku was watching her with dark, expressionless eyes.

"You will obey me, giving me any additional shards you collect and following my every word, and I will give you more of what you crave. Disobey, tell anyone, and you will face the consequences." He grabbed a handful of her thick dark hair, using it to yank her head back so that she could see the vicious promise in his eyes. "And believe me ... you do not want to face the consequences, _Kagome_." He enjoyed the sight of her kneeling at his feet, a smear of blood across her chin. He was so tempted to enforce his dominance ... but she had already been away from her camp for too long. It just wouldn't do if Inuyasha came and interrupted ... Although that was an idea for the future.

When he finally let her go roughly, she could only stare at the ground as he walked away, filled with fear that he would suddenly decide to come back and take more of what he wanted from her ... because he obviously wanted more.

And when he was finally, definitely, gone, Kagome could only cry. She sobbed hysterically, shaking with despair at the situation she was now in – and there was no way out. Because of her _addiction_, she was going to have to betray her friends ... but if she didn't obey, she would hurt them all anyway when her craving stretched her control of her powers and her sanity.

_What have I done ... oh, what have I _done

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Kagome was still awake when morning came. She hadn't been able to sleep, scared of the nightmares that awaited her and desperate for a solution to her problem. The miko rubbed her eyes, wincing when she touched her bruised cheek. The night hadn't been wasted. She had a plan.

The girl pulled herself to her feet, walking over to Inuyasha only when she knew she could conceal her true emotions. She couldn't blurt out the truth – Inuyasha would hate her for her weakness and lies, especially since Naraku now had most of their shards. And he wouldn't forgive her for allowing the evil hanyou to touch her. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he knew who was the cause of her bruises and split lip.

And she ... she was a coward. She felt dirty, soiled and afraid, and she just couldn't make herself tell him the truth.

"What?" the inu growled, his eyes still closed as he sat leaning against the tree with his arms folded, as usual.

_I'd almost forgotten that he was mad at me ... oh, Inuyasha ..._ "I want to go home."

"No." was the blunt reply. Inuyasha grumpily opened his eyes and squinted up at her when she didn't move. His forehead creased in a scowl as he studied her face. "Oi, what happened to you?"

"Nothing," she replied curtly. Kagome set her hands at her sides, returning Inuyasha's scowl with one of her own. "I want to go home, Inuyasha! Now!"

Inuyasha ignored her question. "What happened to you?" he asked again, voice threatening to become dangerous. "Who did that to you?"

"No one! I fell, alright! I want to go home!" Kagome shouted. She couldn't help how her fear turned into irrational anger as she lashed out at him. She didn't have the strength to deal with his arguments, to make up proper excuses – not when she felt so permanently close to tears.

"Well you can't!" Inuyasha shouted back angrily.

"Why?!"

"'Cause we're too close! I smelled Naraku, okay?"

Kagome froze, her heart stopping in her chest. Inuyasha seemed to relent at her fear, thinking it was just a normal reaction to the demon's name. "It was only for a moment, but he has to be close! Besides, we're too far away from the village. It'll take ages to get back."

_He didn't smell him on me ... the bath must have done it_. "What if Kirara takes me?" Kagome suggested, almost begging. _I have to go home – that's the only way! I can get more pills, or get off them, and there are no youkai for me to hurt if I get out of control! I can't stay here! What Naraku gave me won't last long ..._

Inuyasha shook his head stubbornly. "It'd still take a few days, and Kirara can't carry you the whole way without a break. It won't be safe for just the two of you to camp anywhere along the way. No. You can't go and that's final."

Kagome couldn't hold in the tears any more. By now, the whole group were listening. "Please, Inuyasha. _Please!_" she started to sob. She felt like a complete wretch when she felt him hovering over her uncertainly. What he said made sense – he wasn't trying to keep her out of spite. It wasn't safe for just her and Kirara, and it would take too long for the whole group to go back. Inuyasha wouldn't take her alone either – not if he'd caught Naraku's scent.

A wild, crazy idea hit the miko suddenly. It was so mad, so unlikely ... but she was so desperate.

Kagome whirled away, wiping her tears and trying to pull herself together before taking on the only option she had left. She marched up to Sesshomaru, who had arrived back that morning from wherever he'd been, before her courage faded.

The inuyoukai was watching the horizon, giving no sign that he noticed Kagome's approach. Kagome stared at him for a moment, before walking around to his front so that he had no option but to look at her.

She drew in a sharp breath. "Lord Sesshomaru, please will you take me to the well in Inuyasha's forest? Please?" There was a collective gasp from the rest of her companions, except from Rin. The little girl watched her lord, waiting for him to make the right choice. He always did.

Sesshomaru tried to ignore the overwhelming scent of her tears. His brow creased in a slight frown, and Kagome fought an urge to run. "Why?"

"I need to go home," she replied softly. "I'm ... not well. I need to go home to get better." She tried to elaborate with her eyes, because he knew about the pills. She hoped he would understand that this was about them, and that she wanted no one else to know.

The Taiyoukai blinked slowly, languidly, as he considered the request. It would mean spending more time in this mortal's company, which could mean that he would get some of his multiplying questions about her answered. The more he saw of what she knew, and the strange contraptions she possessed, the more sure he was that there was something very different about this girl. The only question was whether that was worth the inconvenience, and likely the irritation she was sure to cause. Needless to say, he took more than a moment to decide.

"Very well." he replied eventually, noting instantly the intense relief in her eyes. "But you will obey my instructions."

Kagome nodded in consent, even though the comment made her shiver. She would have consented to anything for a means to travel home, even if it reminded her all to much of what the evil hanyou had said. With Sesshomaru, at least, she would be safe from Naraku.

Inuyasha once again was left staring at both his half-brother and the miko in complete shock. He'd been left out of the decisions entirely!

"What the hell?!" he shouted furiously.

Kagome allowed Sesshomaru to see the quick roll of her eyes as she turned to deal with the irate hanyou. It was going to be a long day.

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A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed (Grass Crown, Anon, Sesshy's Rose, Darkness living in Hope, kagxsess)! The way it cheers up my day just can't be put into words. Naraku is one of my favourite villains, so expect to see a lot of him in the future :) And just think ... the whole next chapter involves Kags and Sessh travelling _all alone_ – will they grow closer? Will he kill her for talking too much? Hehe, you'll have to wait and see! (Insert big grin here) I'm taking my time on this fic but have at least the next 5 chapters planned, so sorry if its a bit slow paced for your taste. You can expect about a chapter a week when all's going well.

If you enjoyed this chapter, let me know!

PS: A random comment: It has now been made illegal for people under the age of 16 to kiss or be intimate in public in South Africa ... how weird is that? I mean, I approve of the other amendments to the child protection act, but I think that's just a bit too much. The world is a strange place ...


	5. Ch5: Just Us

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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**Chapter 5**

**Just Us**

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Kagome was sweating, and she hated sweating. But more than that, she hated sweating _everywhere_! Her feet were sore, her head ached, and her hands had started shaking again. All in all, it had been a crappy few hours since they'd left the rest of the group behind. This hadn't been exactly what she'd expected when Sesshomaru had agreed to accompany her back to the Bone Eater's well.

_Face it,_ she told herself glumly, _You expected to be soaring across the sky on a cloud ... being held rather close by _him She smiled dreamily at the recurring image, and was brought back to reality with a harsh bump when she tripped ... over her own feet.

"Grrrrrr!" she growled in frustration, slapping the ground and causing the youkai a few metres ahead of her to look back.

The elegant, immaculate Sesshomaru lifted one eyebrow as he studied the dishevelled, sweaty human. "Why are you on the ground?" he asked, as if her answer would be only vaguely interesting. He probably expected stupid things from a mere mortal ...

"I'm on the _ground_ because I _tripped_ because I'm _tired_!" she spat grouchily, trying to get back to her feet. "Ow! Ow!" Kagome whined, grabbing at her aching ankle and falling back to the ground. She stared at the swollen joint in dismay, sparing a moment to wave a fist in the general direction of the heavens. It wasn't bad enough that she had a _stupid_ pill addiction that Naraku was holding over her head, or that she was lying to all her friends. No, of course not. In addition she had to be _alone _with the most perfect male being ever created, who was also the most intimidating, aloof creature she'd ever met! Kagome lowered her face into her hands. "I'm such a mess." she sighed forlornly.

Suddenly the world turned on its head, and Kagome flailed her arms in alarm. "Ooph!" she gasped, her breath knocked out of her when she was practically thrown (_Thrown! I tell you!_) over a fur-covered shoulder. Kagome stared down, noticing that the ground was moving rather quickly. "What the hell?" she spluttered, waving fur away from her nose. What had happened finally hit her. She was being carried like a sack of _stuff_ over Sesshomaru's shoulder! He'd picked her up! He hadn't even asked her! His arm was around her thighs keeping her steady! _Argh!_

"Let me down!" she demanded, finding her voice once again. Temporary insanity suggested that she hit him to make a point ... thankfully it was only temporary. Returning sanity forced her to add the "Please!"

"You cannot walk." he replied evenly, as if he wasn't leaping through the forest while carrying her.

"I will not be carried like a sack of beans!" Kagome said firmly, trying to find some dignity left. She looked at her grit-stained hands and groaned. "I'm dirty! Let me down!" she resorted to whining in complete embarrassment. He had a keen sense of smell, and she really needed a bath.

"All mortals are dirty."

Kagome stiffened in fury. "I'll have you know that I bath! Every day! Its not my fault that you were walking so fast and I tripped! Why weren't we flying on your cloud-thing, anyway? Wouldn't that have been easier?"

There was a long pause, and Kagome suddenly regretted her words. He obviously didn't like to be questioned, and she was worried she'd pushed too far. In Sesshomaru's case, too far generally ended with someone missing a head. Finally, however, he answered.

"I believed that your miko powers would react unfavourably with my own powers, making such travel hazardous."

The miko thought over that for a moment. _I guess if the cloud is made from his own powers, his youki, then maybe it wouldn't have worked. I should be able to control my powers, but he would know more than me I suppose._ "Makes sense." she muttered.

Kagome tried to settle herself, glad that he hadn't decided to throw her over his armour. The fur was comfortable, even though blood was rushing to her brain. That was when she realised that she had the perfect view of his perfect ass ... Kagome covered her eyes, pretending that her reddening face was because of being upside down, not because she was mortified about where her treacherous thoughts had lead her ...

But any person can only last being carried practically upside down for so long. She tried to last ... she really did. But her stomach was getting confused as to which way was up and she had a splitting headache.

"Um," she said finally, "Can you let me down?" Their pace didn't slow, as far as she could tell. Kagome held a hand over her mouth, not having wanted to resort to telling him how she really felt. "I think I'm going to be sick ..." the miko groaned.

They stopped so quickly she got another head rush. Sesshomaru set her carefully on the ground before taking a rather large step back. The inu watched her closely with narrowed eyes, but Kagome managed to take charge of her stomach and concentrated on breathing until the urge passed. She rubbed her head wearily. "Wow. I don't feel so good. I guess too much blood to the brain isn't healthy." She smiled sheepishly up at her escort. "I'm sorry."

The youkai turned away. "It is of no consequence."

Kagome shrugged off his expressionless response. "I'll be better once I eat something. Is there any water nearby? I should check on my ankle."

Sesshomaru motioned to the side, and she was relieved to see the glint of water through the bushes not too far away. She slowly stood, and hobbled towards the pool, not noticing that the youkai was keeping a surreptitious eye on her. It was difficult lugging her backpack along, even though she'd left most of the food behind with Inuyasha and the gang, but she managed. _That probably wouldn't last an hour if I hadn't asked Sango to look after it. _The girl gave a small smile as she imagined the demon slayer defending the pile of food from the always ravenous Inuyasha and Shippo.

Kagome gave a sigh of relief when she sat next to the pool, removed her shoes, and plunged both feet in. Her ankle was a little swollen, but it wouldn't take too long to recover. She pulled out a bottle of anti-inflammatory ointment and rubbed some on. She drank some of the freshly running water and quickly swallowed one of her pills, not letting her mind dwell on how few there were left.

The miko washed her face and all her bare skin quickly. She walked back to where Sesshomaru was waiting, stopping briefly to pull out an energy bar. She munched away, hoping that it would last her until they stopped for the night. She didn't need to eat as much any more – she just didn't really get hungry – but she knew that she needed something. The youkai was watching her more openly now.

"Do you want one?" she asked, showing him the food.

Although he seemed interested in the packaging, Sesshomaru turned his nose up at the snack. "I do not eat _that_." he replied, managing to make the last word hold all his distaste for human food.

She shrugged. "Fine, but you're missing out. The berry flavour is the best." Kagome smiled cheerfully, feeling her good spirits returning. Sesshomaru took a step forward, seeming intent to pick her up once again.

Kagome waved her hands in denial. "Um, there has to be an easier way? I just can't be upside down like that – it makes me feel awful. Not that I'm not grateful or anything ..." she stopped when she realised she was just digging herself a bigger hole. It was bad enough that the great _Sesshomaru_ had to escort a mortal, bad enough that he had to _carry_ her – now she was complaining about _how_ he was carrying her too.

The youkai glared at her, the slight crease on his forehead being enough to express his irritation. She could almost see him thinking over whether she was worth all this trouble.

"I'm sorry." she said softly, looking down at the ground. She felt bad because she knew that he had already been kinder to her than he had been to any mortal other than Rin. Not killing her at first sight was more than he did for most. Though, to be fair, he _had_ tried that the first time. _Plus_, she cringed, _its not like he can carry me like Inuyasha does. He only has one arm._

She could see his shadow as he walked up to her. His feet came into view, and she only looked up when he was standing right by her. The youkai looked down at her solemnly, slowly bending down until his head was level with her shoulders. Sesshomaru's eyes didn't leave hers as he slipped his arm around behind her thighs, lifting her slowly so that she understood that she had to keep herself upright by holding on to his shoulder. Finally she was being held with her legs through the loop of his arm and her front facing his. It was rather awkward, being pressed against his side and shoulder, but so much more comfortable than before ... and a lot more intimate.

Kagome wanted to ask if his arm wouldn't get tired, holding all her weight like that, but she didn't want him to take it as an insult. So as Sesshomaru once again leapt through the forest with ease, Kagome rested her arms and cheek against the fur over his shoulder with her face looking away from his.

"Thank you," she whispered, knowing that he would be able to hear. She wasn't surprised when he didn't reply.

As she drifted off, it felt almost like flying. It was nice to be held close, and to feel so safe. Hours seemed to drift past, the whole afternoon racing by, until darkness fell. For a while she thought that he was going to travel through the whole night, but the youkai stopped at a place she recognised as a previous camp of theirs.

Sesshomaru put her down carefully once again, giving no indication that his arm was even stiff. Kagome on the other hand was a whole different matter. She stretched her legs and arms, aching from hours in the same position. She'd been too nervous to move too much, or to even turn her head. That would have been just too awkward.

Kagome gathered wood and started a fire quickly, desperate to show that she wasn't useless. Sesshomaru sat a bit back from the flames, resting against a tree. The miko gathered all her things in silence, ready to go and have another bath in the spring that was just nearby.

When she finally got into her sleeping bag, it was with great relief. There had been no evil visitors, no Inuyasha to deal with, no worrying about feeding the whole camp. Maybe it was her exhaustion that relaxed her enough to try start a conversation with the intimidating inu, or maybe it was that they had spent hours together in close company without a word and she felt more comfortable with him ... or maybe it was just because she was Kagome, and she liked talking to people.

"What was it like, growing up as nobility?" she asked sleepily but interested all the same. When he didn't reply, she looked his way. The youkai was staring at her, but she couldn't tell if he was curious or just irritated at her presumption. "Where I come from, we don't have many lords or anything. Just rich people, poor people, and those in between mostly."

"And you?" he answered her question at last with one of his own.

Kagome wrinkled her nose. "In between, I guess. Definitely not rich." She smiled. "But really, what was it like? I'm just interested, because it must have been so different from anything I've known."

Sesshomaru must have thought it over, before deciding there was no harm in answering her. And he wouldn't get any peace until he did. "I was well taught, and sufficiently cared for. I knew nothing else." He paused again, but before she could complain about the lack of details, he added a little more. "I was trained for war as soon as I was of age. Many of the other duties were ... less than desirable."

"Paperwork," Kagome suggested, laughing a little at the image of Sesshomaru stabbing a pile of paper with his sword in frustration.

"Sleep, miko." the youkai replied, almost an order. And Kagome was so tired she didn't argue.

Sesshomaru watched her for a while, wondering how he had ended up with such a confusing, talkative creature. She cared about everything, and everyone – so much so that she would hide her own problems. Like now, he knew there was something she was hiding, something that had prompted her sudden decision to go home. If it hadn't been for her barely concealed fear and desperation and his own curiosity, he probably wouldn't have agreed to this journey. He would find the reason ... eventually.

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Kagome walked for stretches the next day as long and as quickly as she was able, until she could literally not take another step. Sesshomaru would pick her up without a word, sensing sometimes before she did that she was about to fall over backwards. Kagome couldn't hide her relief from herself, every time he lifted her up. She couldn't hide how much she enjoyed digging her fingers into the fur over his shoulder either. If she didn't think that he'd kill her for it, she would have grabbed a handful of his silky hair as well – just to see what it felt like. She could get away with holding the fur, but even though her fingers itched she stopped herself from irking him any further.

As it was, he gave her an irritated look when she'd been stroking the fur too long.

Kagome grinned sheepishly, pulling her hands away from their rhythmic stroking. "Sorry," she apologised. "It's just ... so _soft_ ..." Her fingers started itching to touch it again.

Sesshomaru gave a small, exasperated sigh. He said nothing when she absently started doing it again a few minutes later. It felt strangely ... soothing.

They'd stopped for Kagome to have some lunch when she felt two jewel shards approaching rapidly. The speed of the bearer ... the fact that there were two ... could only mean one thing.

"Oh no," Kagome moaned. She turned to the inuyoukai and spoke quickly. "There's a youkai coming. He's got two jewel shards, but he's not an enemy so _please_ don't kill him," she paused for a moment, wincing as she imagined the upcoming meeting, "no matter _what _he says ..."

Sesshomaru gave her a sharp look, but before he could reply (if he was _planning _on replying), a dust cloud preceded the arrival of their visitor.

Kagome blinked away the dust to find Kouga the wolf prince kneeling at her feet, with a hand holding hers to his lips. The wolf smiled cheekily up at her. "Kagome! As lovely as always, my woman," he grinned, not seeming at all to notice the way she was trying to get her hand back.

Kagome could see Sesshomaru's eyebrows rise imperceptibly at that comment, and she tried harder to pull away. "Kouga! I told you! I'm not your woman!"

"Not yet," the wolf smirked. He glanced towards Sesshomaru, and seemed to realise at last that it wasn't Inuyasha as he'd assumed. In an instant he'd picked her up and they were on the opposite side of the clearing from the inuyoukai before she'd had a chance to breathe. "Kagome, what's going on here?" Kouga hissed, uncomfortable when he registered the power level of the other youkai. "Who is that?"

Kagome sighed. "It's okay, Kouga. You can put me down. That's Lord Sesshomaru – Inuyasha's _half_-brother."

The name seemed to register with the wolf. Kagome imagined that he paled a bit. Sesshomaru was the Lord of the Western Lands, and Kouga was a leader of his own lands so she guessed he would have heard of him.

"_You're_ Inuyasha's half-brother?" Kouga repeated with disbelief.

"Unfortunately." Sesshomaru replied drily.

"So where is the runt?" Kouga asked the miko, who was still trying to get him to let go. He lowered his voice a little, knowing that the other youkai would still hear but it was more respectful. "And what are you doing with _him_?" His eyes widened a little, concern hitting him at the current situation. Kagome ... alone with a powerful demon ... who was Inuyasha's half-brother ... His arms tightened around her possessively. "Kagome, you know you are _my_ woman! You aren't thinking of ..." he glanced at the impassive inuyoukai, not wanting to anger him.

"What?" Kagome's face crunched up in confusion, but when she caught his worried, half-challenging looks towards Sesshomaru understanding hit. "No!" she couldn't help but start laughing. "He doesn't want _me_, Kouga! Sesshomaru doesn't even really _like_ humans. He just kind of puts up with me."

"You're sure?" Kouga asked, his worry waning a bit. He would be much happier if he didn't have to challenge such a powerful youkai. "You do smell a bit different."

"I'm sure!" she replied firmly. "He's just agreed to take me back home because I'm not feeling well and Inuyasha is too busy."

She knew she shouldn't have mentioned that, because Kouga latched on to her again. "I'll take you home!" He grinned at the prospect of being alone with her, with no Inuyasha in the way ...

"No, no," Kagome declined hastily, wishing that she had lied. "Really, Kouga, its fine! Really!"

"Your presence is not required." Sesshomaru added. Kagome was too busy looking at Kouga to see the forbidding look the inuyoukai sent the wolf. He glanced down to where the wolf prince was still holding Kagome. "Remove your hands."

Kouga bridled, gritting his teeth at being ordered around like some common fool. Kagome glanced from one youkai to the other, feeling the growing tension. She touched Kouga tentatively on the shoulder, getting his attention.

"Its alright Kouga, really. Sesshomaru won't let anything happen to me, and you're after Naraku anyway, aren't you? Inuyasha thought that he caught his scent yesterday morning, so it would probably help a lot if you were there too. Don't you think?"

"That stupid hanyou probably couldn't smell Naraku if he was standing behind him," Kouga replied, calming slightly. "So I suppose it'll need a full youkai to find that spider bastard."

Kagome smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you." she lied through her teeth.

Kouga laughed sharply, grinning at the thought of riling up Inuyasha again. It was one of his favourite hobbies. He gave Sesshomaru a sharp glance, before turning his full attention on Kagome. He held her shoulders firmly, staring deep into her eyes. "Alright. I will keep an eye on that idiot dog for you, Kagome. Only for you. But don't forget, you're my woman!"

With a quick grin, because Kouga never stayed in one place for longer than five minutes, he was gone.

Kagome sighed heavily, giving Sesshomaru a thankful smile. "Thank you."

"I did nothing."

"You didn't have to step in. I'm sure you would have been happier to have me out of your hair."

The inuyoukai studied her for a moment. "Are you to be his mate?"

"No!" her denial was sharp and instant. She gave a helpless smile. "But no matter how many times I say that he won't listen."

They started walking again. Kagome thought that their conversation was over, he was quiet for so long.

"Because he is a youkai?"

Kagome had to think a bit before she realised that he was asking whether she declined Kouga because he was a youkai. She shook her head. "No. Because he's just decided that I'd make a good mate because I can detect shards and I'm a miko, not because he really wants _me_. It doesn't matter that he's a youkai."

"No matter how they look, youkai are not human." Sesshomaru replied sharply. "You are naïve if you think otherwise."

Kagome was startled, and stared at him for a long moment. "There is more than one meaning to the word 'human'." she replied slowly. "It's not just about being a mortal. It's about being a _person_, about having emotions and goals, and understanding that when you make choices that there are consequences. Not all people make the right choice, but they still have that option of choice that is influenced by who they are. _I_ chose to take responsibility for breaking the Shikon jewel, and _you_ chose to save Rin. Maybe I did it because I'm interested in this world rather than because I feel a responsibility to it, and maybe you did it because you wanted to test out your sword rather than because you felt sorry for her, but we still made choices, we are capable of emotion. And that makes us _people_. Depending on the choices, it makes us good people."

The inuyoukai studied her with renewed interest, watching as she settled herself into sleep. She'd surprised him again with her conviction. It was obviously something she felt passionate about, and she showed more consideration and intelligence than he'd come to expect from most, and more tolerance than the present world encouraged.

That didn't mean that he thought she was any less naïve.

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A/N: Sorry about the late update – I'm busy sorting out my life for the new university year, so they might be a bit erratic. Oh, and the constant power cuts may cause a problem but I'll try my best. Please leave a comment if you liked anything about the chapter, because we all love encouragement. Thanks:)


	6. Ch6: Hopeless

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

A/N: Sorry about the delay, but as I said I'm back at university, and I'm starting postgraduate studies so its something new and a lot harder than last year. I hope this chapter is angsty enough to keep you all happy, with some cute bits thrown in. Enjoy!

PS: thanks for the reviews for the last chapter – they always give me a good day :)

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**Chapter 6**

**Hopeless**

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It was night once again, and they had stopped at another old camp-site. Kagome reckoned from the speed they had been travelling that it would only take about another two days to get back to the well. She was looking forward to it, but also getting more anxious. Travelling with Sesshomaru had almost allowed her to forget why she was going home in the first place. It almost allowed her to forget her dwindling supply of little white pills that she was having to take more and more often just for relief.

They had stopped earlier that evening than previously, and Kagome was looking forward to a nice long soak in the hot springs.

"Don't wait up," she told the inu jokingly, grabbing her towel and skipping off through the trees.

Kagome slipped gratefully into the warm water, relaxing a moment before she tackled the task of washing her hair. She missed Sango, but some part of her enjoyed the chance to be alone. She'd had little of that for a long time. Her trips home were so busy, frantically trying to catch up with the life and family she was increasingly distant from, while planning her trips back here where she was surrounded by her surrogate family.

_And now I'm going home, and might have to tell my mother I'm a drug addict. _ Kagome cringed at the thought of it – the words sounded so harsh, it seemed so unreal. It wasn't as if she was really acting strangely. She didn't hallucinate, have mood swings or show any signs of paranoia. Pretty much the only signs were her increased miko powers and skill, and her craving. _Maybe I can just get some more pills ... I don't think there is anything really wrong with me._

Kagome finally emerged from the water, her mind not any clearer on her plans once she got home. _I don't even know what will really happen if I don't have another pill._ But even the thought of not having one made her feel anxious.

At least she was dressed when he showed up. She didn't know how she would have coped if she hadn't been.

"Where do you think you are going?" his voice was dark and hard.

Kagome's heart leapt in her chest as she turned around to see her nightmare manifested. Naraku was watching her with his blood-red eyes and perfect features. She started shaking as he stepped nearer.

"Don't come closer," She meant the words to come out forcefully, but she only managed a bare whisper.

But he moved faster than her eyes could follow. In a moment he had his hand wrapped around her throat, tight enough to hurt her but not tight enough that she couldn't breathe at all. Kagome's hands lifted to pull at his, but the hanyou was much stronger than her. "Try it," he sneered, "Just try to scream."

"I'm not going anywhere!" she gasped, choking.

He shook her roughly. "Don't try to lie to me. Do you think I would have let you out of my sight?" He smiled cruelly as he leaned closer, drinking in her fear. His lips brushed her ear, enjoying how she trembled. "I've been watching you every moment, my dear Kagome. _Every _moment."

"Sesshomaru's here," she spat, meaning it as a threat. Naraku's expression darkened.

"Oh, I know. Don't worry, Kagome. He's a bit distracted at the moment, so he won't be interrupting any time soon." He crushed her against him, burying his face in the curve of her neck. Kagome froze in a terror so blinding that she had trouble following his words.

"I know you thought you could run off home, miko. But I can promise you that if you try, then you will _never_ go home. I will destroy that well so thoroughly that not even _fragments_ of it will remain." He was stroking her soothingly, even as every word he spoke broke her.

"Why ..." she whispered. "Why are you doing this to me ..."

One of Naraku's hands slipped under her shirt, sliding against her skin and cutting shallow bleeding lines with his claws. _Do something!_ her mind screamed, roared, but her powers were nowhere to be found. She was too afraid, too terrified, to do anything but shake and cry.

"Oh, Kagome," he chuckled at her question. "Because you defy me, because you have interfered in my plans, because you healed Inuyasha's heart. Because you are the reincarnation of the woman who turned me into this, because you are too pure. Because I will enjoy breaking you. There are more than enough reasons, my miko."

That was how Sesshomaru found them. His sword was out and glowing, dripping some disgusting substance. It was obvious that he had been fighting, but just as obvious that whatever Naraku had sent as a distraction wasn't anywhere close to giving the youkai any real challenge. Naraku allowed Kagome to turn around in his arms, before pulling her tightly back against his body.

Sesshomaru was caught by her eyes. He had never seen them like that, so broken, so full of pain and horror and terror and despair. Blood stained her shirt, and the only reason she was still standing was because the hanyou was holding her up. His fury towards the creature only intensified at the sight of her.

"Have you tasted her blood, Sesshomaru?" Naraku asked, bringing his blood-stained fingers to his lips. "Truly delicious," the hanyou smirked. He pulled her closer, his mouth to her ear. "I'll leave you now, my Kagome. But I think I will come collect you soon – its time the last shards were found, don't you think? And you will not resist me, or you will not get what you long for and you will not be the only one to suffer for it. Do you understand me?" His claws tightened painfully until she gave a weak nod.

Naraku flung her at the inuyoukai, knowing that Sesshomaru would take the instant to catch her that would allow him time to escape. He disappeared in his miasma, his last glimpse of the miko falling through the air.

The Taiyoukai did catch her, sheathing his sword so that he could before she fell. She was still only a moment in his hold before she tried to pull away from him. The miko was sobbing, gasping, and all her poor mind registered was that she was again being held. She struggled frantically, desperately.

"Kagome," he said her name, and she looked up at his face. She saw gold eyes, not red, and stopped fighting. The girl stared at him for a long moment, before she ducked her head and pressed her face against his chest.

Once again she was crying, but this time she was holding him tightly, pulling the inuyoukai close like she was never going to let go. With her arms wrapped around him, he slowly lifted her up and moved to their camp fire. Sesshomaru settled down on her sleeping bag, wrapping her in it as soon as she let him go.

She was still shaking, in shock. He'd been in enough battles to have seen it before. He managed to coax her to lie down, but she wasn't really registering her surroundings. Her shaking worsened, intensified until he thought she was going to have a seizure, but she reached into her bag and swallowed something small quickly, not meeting his eyes.

Kagome was in a daze, exhausted from her emotional outburst and the rush of adrenaline. She fell asleep, but it wasn't long before the nightmares made her wake screaming.

Sesshomaru was at her side in an instant. She jerked away when he touched her arm, but as soon as she saw his gold eyes and silver hair she relaxed a little. Tears spilt down her cheeks, and she didn't seem able to stop them. She was a bit more aware this time – aware enough to be slightly hesitant to touch him.

Kagome hugged herself. Even though the fire was barely over a metre away she couldn't feel its heat. She saw the blood on her shirt and started sobbing again, the memories coming back.

"He touched me ..." she whispered, shame and horror filling her soul with shadows. "He _touched me_!" She looked at the youkai with tear-filled eyes, wide with despair. He was crouching at her side, not touching her but _there_.

"He will not touch you again."

She shook her head violently. "He won't stop! He'll come back! He-"

She was brought to a halt when Sesshomaru's hand touched her cheek lightly. She met his eyes, taken aback by the fury there that wasn't directed at her. "He will not touch you again." he repeated, "I will not allow it."

"I'm not your responsibility," she replied softly. "You have no obligation to protect me." Her voice was shaky, but she didn't want him to feel that he had to look after her. He was a lord who didn't even like humans, and she was ... _Helpless. Hopeless. Nothing but a nuisance!_

He brushed away her tears carefully, expression unreadable. "No. I have none." Her heart dropped at those words. "Except that I have given you my word."

Kagome looked down, not knowing what to say.

"Do you wish to sleep?" he asked. "Or wash?"

She smiled tentatively at the subtle teasing tone of the last offer. "Wash, please."

He leant down, sliding his arm under her legs and waited for her to hold on. She hesitantly put her arm around his neck, feeling at last the softness of his hair.

"I can walk, you know," she objected softly. He made a non-committal noise and carried on walking after she'd grabbed her bag.

She shivered, her grip tightening almost unconsciously when they reached the edge of the water where it had all happened such a short time ago. Kagome's other hand rested on her stomach briefly, remembering how he'd slipped his hand under her shirt, how he'd touched her ...

Sesshomaru had stopped. "Miko?" he prompted, snapping her out of her nightmare.

She pulled away a little, and he let her down carefully. "I'm fine!" she smiled, but it was so false that it collapsed at his expression of faint disbelief. "I just want to wash, and get on something ... else."

"Do you wish me to leave?"

"No!" her answer was more forceful than she'd meant. She flushed a little with embarrassment. "I mean, if you wouldn't mind staying. Just ... please look the other way."

He turned around without another word, waiting patiently while she rummaged around for some cleaning things. She didn't really need to wash completely other than getting the blood from the cuts off her skin. They were shallow anyway and she had washed a short while ago ... but she just felt so dirty, so _violated_.

She washed thoroughly, scrubbing her skin and wincing when she cleaned the stinging cuts. She tried not to take too long, and was finally sitting dressed in clean clothes with her shirt pulled up and a bottle of disinfectant in her hand. Kagome dabbed at the cuts tentatively, cursing at the pain.

"What is that?" The youkai asked. He'd turned around and was studying the bottle in her hand.

"When did you ...?" she asked in disbelief, wondering when he'd turned around.

Sesshomaru snorted. "Once you were dressed, miko, be assured."

"It's disinfectant – to make sure I don't get sick. It's from home."

"Where is home?" he asked, glancing at her strange bag again curiously.

"Five hundred years in the future," she replied, smiling a little at the absurdity of that sentence. "I was pulled into the well in my time, and landed up here, and can travel back through it home too. Only Inuyasha has been able to follow me. It turned out the sacred jewel was being kept inside my body, and ... well. You know the rest." She shrugged. "At least I think its the future of this place – but there people don't even believe in youkai. Before I came here, I thought it was just a legend."

Sesshomaru seemed to digest her revelations relatively easily.

"Aren't you surprised? That I'm from the future?" she asked curiously. "And I thought you might not be happy to hear there are no youkai."

"The sacred jewel is powerful. It is not impossible to imagine." The inuyoukai shrugged, watching her cleaning her cuts. "Because you do not see them does not mean they do not exist – merely that the stupid ones have been eliminated and those intelligent enough have learned to blend in." She was struggling to clean one cut that curved round to her back, and he crouched down at her side, holding out his hand for the swab.

"Huh?" Kagome stared at him, confused.

"You cannot reach. I will do it." His face betrayed no emotion.

Kagome slowly handed it over, turning so that he could see better and holding up her shirt to expose the lower part of her back. She hissed softly when he ran the cotton with disinfectant over the cut, even though he was pressing down gently. He was being far more careful than she might have expected, and Kagome paused a moment to wonder at how different _he_ was to what she had expected. For a youkai who hated humans, he was pretty considerate. Sesshomaru didn't show emotion in his face or words, but in his actions.

Finally he stopped, standing to wait for her to pack up. Kagome took a moment to gather herself – after the stinging had passed, having someone else care for her actually felt really good. She even managed to walk back to their camp on her own, grateful to leave that clearing around the pool behind.

But when she reached her sleeping bag, she stopped and stared down at it hesitantly. Her eyes darted towards the youkai, who was still watching her, and back to the sleeping bag. _Can I really ask this? Can I ask this of him?_ She shivered, and knew she had no choice.

"Sesshomaru?" she started haltingly. "Could I ... could you ..." She brushed away a tear roughly, angry at her weakness. "Do you mind staying with me? Next to me? I just ... I just don't think I'll be able to sleep otherwise."

He met her eyes for a long moment before replying. "Very well."

He walked over to her, pulling off his armour and laying the fur over his shoulder down next to her. The inuyoukai lay down on it, stretching out gracefully and staring straight above at the sky. Kagome got into her sleeping bag far less gracefully, unable to stop herself from studying his profile for a moment. He was so handsome, almost beautiful, and otherworldly in his movements that were so not human. She would never have imagined, even a day ago, lying a hand's width away from him, without it being the last thing she would ever do.

The Taiyoukai was such an enigma. He'd tried to kill her at least twice, and had almost succeeded. When they'd first met, he had been ... well, he'd been a monster, killing for no reason and without remorse. But now ... Kagome remembered how he'd brushed away her tears, how he'd carried her when she couldn't walk, how he'd promised to protect her.

Kagome closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall into sleep with her lips curved in a small smile.

The youkai looked down at the little miko when he sensed she had succumbed to sleep. He noticed her soft smile, and he would have arrogantly denied the way his breath hitched when she curled up closer to his side if he'd been asked. The girl let out a soft sigh, falling deeper into sleep.

_Why ..._ Sesshomaru asked himself, unable to pull his eyes away from this fragile creature. _Why have I allowed this to happen? This miko ... _ She had grown on him, suddenly and for no reason that he could discern. She was _human_, and while she had extraordinary miko powers, she was still so breakable.

This kept happening. First with Jaken, who he had permitted to stay at his side (though he was like some immortal, irremovable fungus more than anything else), and then Rin with her innocence, obedience and admiration. And now, Kagome. But Kagome was so very different from Rin. She was stubborn, disrespectful, disobedient. Yet like Rin she was so fragile, so pure of heart, so in need of protection. And that was changing him.

When he thought about that depraved hanyou touching her, tasting her blood ... it filled him with fury. Naraku had much to pay for, and he would not allow him to spread his maliciousness to this pure girl.

He closed his eyes, his face creasing into an angry frown even as his hand, the traitorous appendage, brushed against the girl's hair softly. _Damn you, Father. Is this is all you left me along with that blunt sword? Your useless compassion for these mortals?_

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"That is enough, Kanna," Naraku dismissed the void girl, who lowered her mirror and left without a word. The demon was left, torn between laughter and rage at what he had just witnessed: the miko, _his_ miko, curling up in sleep against the great Sesshomaru.

It amused him to see the mighty, human-hating demon coming to care for his Kagome. It amused him to think how Inuyasha would react at such a sight, and of course one more weakness known about Sesshomaru was one step closer to eliminating him. The development was not completely surprising. Kagome had shown a remarkable talent for winning the affection of others, demon or human alike. That wolf, Kouga, was still sniffing around her, and Inuyasha was very protective of her. It was her heart, her compassion, her purity that caused it. She was different from any other being he had ever encountered – even Kikyo. The priestess had never had Kagome's pure loving soul, and that was what made her so difficult because he would never be able to trick her like he did Kikyo.

But it also made her a wonderful toy.

The rage at seeing someone else touch what he'd claimed as _his_ burned inside his twisted soul. _I should have taken her with me right then!_ The hanyou shuddered in pleasure when he recalled her whimpering breaths, her shivering body. Those eyes ... he could spend eternity watching her soul splinter into pieces in those eyes. And once she was shattered, he would build her back up into something her friends would never recognise, something more fitting to his image. He would twist her until she screamed only _his_ name. Oh, and how he would enjoy every instant of it ...

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	7. Ch7: The Truth

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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**Chapter 7**

**The Truth**

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She felt so safe, so warm. Kagome was aware of being awake long before she allowed herself to be aware of what, exactly, was so warm and comfortable. Her eyes opened reluctantly at last, and she froze when she realised that she wasn't home in her own bed. She was half in her sleeping bag, and half curled up on deliciously soft fur, with her cheek pressed against a warm side. The miko tilted her head back slowly, to meet the eyes of the body she was lying against. For a long moment, she imagined reaching out and tracing those stripes along his cheekbones with her fingertips.

Kagome shook herself out of it, pulling back quickly into a sitting position and holding the edge of the sleeping bag close to her chest. She stared down at him with the startled eyes of a deer, wide and uncertain.

"I'm sorry," she began, "I didn't mean-"

Sesshomaru got swiftly to his feet, pulling on his armour and doing up the straps deftly with one hand. "We must go." he said, interrupting her.

"Go?" she asked, confused and strangely hurt that he'd pulled away so quickly, like she was so repulsive. After what had happened, maybe she was. "Go where?"

He looked at her expressionlessly. "Back to the others. You have a story to tell, and I do not imagine you wish to tell it more than once."

Kagome looked down at her hands, which had started shaking for more than one reason. "No. I guess not." she replied softly, trying not to imagine the disappointment, the disgust at her weakness and her mistakes and lies.

"Come, Kagome." his voice was almost gentle, and she looked up at him with tears at the edges of her eyes. Somehow, he managed to reassure her without saying anything at all.

So Kagome gathered her things, and let Sesshomaru pick her up without objecting. She didn't have the heart to walk, and just felt like being held close to someone she felt safe with. But her thoughts were too dark, too disturbing for her to keep silent for long.

"Sesshomaru ..." she said softly, "What ... what was your father like?" Kagome imagined that his hold on her tightened imperceptibly, though she may have only imagined it. She didn't want to offend him, but she wasn't afraid of him any more. They had come too far together for her to really fear him.

"Why do you ask?" he asked after a long silence.

Kagome shrugged. "I just ... I'm just interested. I've heard only a few stories, because Inuyasha doesn't like talking about him. I suppose you don't either. I'm sorry."

She thought that that was the end of the conversation, but to her surprise the youkai gave in. "He was a very powerful demon." Sesshomaru spoke slowly, as though turning the words over in his mind before voicing them. "He was feared by many, but respected by many more. He had loyal servants and was a good leader. Despite the common sentiment, he looked after every creature in his lands. Even the humans. But when he fell in love with that woman ..." There was a long, tense pause before he continued. "Other youkai saw it as a sign of weakness, and he was continuously challenged. None came close to defeating him, until the last." Sesshomaru shook his head slowly. "I told him he was a fool." He lips curled in a tight, bitter half-smile as he recalled his father's last words. "He said that until I had something precious to protect, I would never understand."

"You haven't forgiven him," she said softly. "You haven't forgiven him for leaving." The youkai turned to look at her sharply. Kagome gave him a small smile, but it wasn't pity in her eyes. It was understanding. "It's only my mother, brother, and grandfather waiting for me at home. Sometimes ... that's enough."

Sesshomaru looked forward, and they didn't speak again for a long while, but somehow they didn't need to.

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Kagome jerked back to alertness when she sensed jewel shards nearing. There were two, close together and moving fast ... and some more, as well.

"Kouga and Inuyasha are coming," she alerted the youkai.

Sesshomaru came to a stop in a clearing. _Oh shit!_ Kagome realised a second before the other two youkai arrived that she better not let them see Sesshomaru holding her, but it was too late ...

Kouga and Inuyasha landed on the other side of the clearing at the same time, and Kagome wished she could have taken a photo of their expressions. Both youkai stopped dead, and stared at Kagome, who was being held rather close by the inuyoukai.

"What the HELL?!" came two simultaneous outbursts.

"What are you doing with my woman?!" Kouga shouted, just as Inuyasha added "Let her go you bastard!" Inuyasha's face was blood-red, and Kouga looked like his head was going to explode from the steam coming out of his ears.

Kagome turned to look at Sesshomaru. She smiled, shrugging apologetically. "Thank you, Sesshomaru. I think I'd better deal with these two before they glow a gasket."

The Taiyoukai's hand tightened momentarily, before he released her slowly. He watched her face as she slipped out of his grasp, and she couldn't help but feel a momentary loss away from his warmth and safety. And she realised that the time was fast approaching when she would have to tell all her friends the truth, and it scared the hell her.

When she turned to face the wolf and hanyou, her expression was enough to stop their ranting instantly.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha said hesitantly, "What's wrong?"

It hit her. She had to tell her best friend that she'd betrayed his trust – that she'd lied to him, that she had let Naraku get a hold on her, that she'd let him take those shards from her. Her fists clenched so tightly, and she wished more than anything that she could turn back time, that she could turn away before making him doubt her. She'd never wanted to hurt him, especially after what had happened to him with Kikyo ...

"Oh, Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, lowering her face into her hands and sobbing. "I'm so sorry!"

At that moment, the rest of their company arrived. Sango had to hold Shippo back from rushing to his adopted mother. She felt that Kagome needed Inuyasha for the moment. But both she and Miroku were quick to notice how Sesshomaru never let his eyes stray from her except to check on his ward.

Inuyasha came close, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Kagome. Please don't cry!" He was taken aback when the miko grabbed him in a tight hug, crying still.

"Please don't hate me," she sobbed, "I'm so sorry – it was a mistake!"

The hanyou's eyes went wide as he raised his head and pulled back so that he could see her face. "Kagome ..." he began slowly, "Why ... why can I smell Naraku on you?" He let her fall through his hands to her knees, staring down at her speechless. In that moment his old distrust resurfaced ... and for a moment, he doubted her.

Kagome's crying intensified, and she hugged herself to stave off the cold in her heart. Her memories went back to that night, to those times Naraku had visited her and filled her with such terror. And over all those images, her mind superimposed Inuyasha's question. _"Kagome ... Why ... why can I smell Naraku on you?" _

For a breath no one moved, until Kagome felt an arm encircle her. She was pulled close against a warm body, and she buried her face in his neck. Kagome breathed deeply, pulling strength from the youkai who had supported her through these last nightmares, and supported her now.

Sesshomaru's actions triggered a wave of astonishment. Sango and Miroku exchanged meaningful glances before racing forward to their friend. Shippo ran forward to hover next to the miko, put off coming too close because of his rather justified fear of the Taiyoukai.

Inuyasha was still staring down at them, when he was thumped on the head from behind. He whirled around furiously, glaring at the wolf youkai. "What the fuck was that for?" he snarled.

"You made Kagome cry you stupid dumbass! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Kouga shouted at him, and Inuyasha was momentarily taken aback by his sincere anger. That moment, when he'd let her slip through his hands ... he'd hurt her. Again.

Inuyasha looked back at the girl who was being held by his brother, and realised that it should have been him. He should have been holding her while she cried. He took a step forward, but stopped involuntarily when he met Sesshomaru's eyes. There was more condemnation, more muted rage there than he'd ever seen aimed at him.

"Kagome," Sango spoke softly, touching her friend's hand gently. "What happened to you? Did Naraku ... did he do something to you?"

Kagome turned her head slightly so that she could see her friends crowded around her, with their anxious concern calming her a little. She wiped her face roughly, pulling back from the inuyoukai slowly so that she could face them. Unconsciously, it seemed, she shifted so that she was still pressing lightly against the Taiyoukai's side.

Sesshomaru met the humans' stares evenly, displaying nothing to explain their familiarity. Rin came up as well, and sat on his other side. The youkai rested his hand on her head for a moment, and she smiled up at him happily.

"It's alright, Lady Kagome." Miroku said comfortingly. "We're here for you." Shippo nodded vigorously, and she pulled him on to her lap and hugged him close.

Kagome stared down at her hands, and it was only then that they all noticed how they were shaking. "I suppose ... I suppose I must start with the pills." she started quietly.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

"And that's why I wanted to go home, why I left most of the shards with Inuyasha. I was afraid I'd lose control of my powers, that I'd give in ... give in to my craving and do something stupid. I thought if I went home, I could get some help and wouldn't hurt any of you." Tears ran down her cheeks again as she remembered. "But Naraku was watching me. He ... he threatened to destroy the well so I could never go home. He said he'd take me with him! He ... he ..." She couldn't say the words, so Kagome gripped her shirt and lifted it up so that they could see the cuts on her stomach. She couldn't meet their eyes as they realised it had been Naraku who had touched her, who had cut her.

"Oh, Kagome!" Sango cried, leaning forward and pulling the miko into a tight hug. "You should have told us! We would have done anything to help you!"

"Kagome ..."

The miko looked up, to see Inuyasha hovering close by. His eyes held all his remorse, all his guilt for doubting her. "I'm sorry. I ..."

"It's alright, Inuyasha." she smiled tentatively, forgiving him instantly. She didn't have it in her heart to blame him for pulling away from her. He'd been so hurt by Kikyo, by Naraku's manipulations. She had been the first person he'd trusted for so long.

"I'll kill him for touching you," the hanyou growled, his eyes darkening with fury.

"Not if I kill him first!" Kouga interjected, starting a glaring contest between the two.

"I think I may be able to help you control your powers, Kagome," Miroku told her, smiling encouragingly. "I'm sure we can find someone who has a cure for this. Perhaps Jinenji would have something of use?"

"He might," Kagome agreed hesitantly. She was so relieved that they'd all pulled together around her. Even Kouga and Inuyasha's quarrelling was comforting. But she wouldn't have been able to survive any moment of it, if it weren't for Sesshomaru. She could feel his aura brushing against hers, making her feel safe and sure. Maybe it was that she doubted that her miko powers would be able to destroy him, or maybe it was because she knew that Naraku feared him. Either way, with him she felt safe.

"Why were you guys headed towards us?" she asked suddenly.

"Inuyasha caught Naraku's scent a while after you'd left, and we were afraid that he would run into you. So we followed as fast as we could but we couldn't catch you ... how were you travelling so fast?" Sango replied.

Kagome flushed a little under the slayer and monk's intense stares. She shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. "I hurt my ankle soon after we left you, so Sesshomaru agreed to carry me. There wasn't much choice."

Sango glanced at the inuyoukai, but once again his expression didn't even twitch. There _were_ other choices, of course. He could have left Kagome, or killed her, or just let her struggle on by herself. That he hadn't, that he'd carried her and obviously cared for her, surprised her more than she showed. Although, when it came to Kagome, all things were possible. She'd made allies with the most unlikely youkai, Kouga included. The wolf demon's tribe had killed hundreds of humans before meeting her, and Inuyasha hadn't been the most caring hanyou either. There was something special about her friend, that touched those around her, that changed them.

"I'll go with Kirara to visit Jinenji, Kagome. I'll need a full list of everything you know about this medicine." Sango said, standing up. "The rest of you will have to keep an eye on her, to make sure she stays safe." The demon slayer turned and hit Miroku across the head. "I said eye, not hand!" she snapped.

The monk found himself getting death glares from all sides. All the youkai were unimpressed by his attempt to comfort the miko ... including Sesshomaru. "Please, my dear Sango!" he protested weakly. "You wound me by doubting my pure intentions!"

Sango huffed, and got on Kirara's back after Kagome had related to her everything she knew about the pills and symptoms. "I'll be as quick as I can," she assured Kagome as Kirara took to the air.

"Travel safely!" the miko called after them both. Kagome sighed, and looked around her. She blinked a bit uncertainly. Suddenly she was the centre of attention of a number of men (or boys in a few cases), and she wasn't so sure about all of this. Kagome smiled sheepishly. "So ... um ... what are we going to do now?"

Inuyasha settled down on the ground about a metre away from her with his arms folded. "Unless you can lead us to another jewel shard, we're going to wait right here."

Kouga sat down too, giving her what he obviously thought was a charming smile. "I'll protect you, Kagome! I will watch you every moment!"

"Pervert!" Inuyasha snapped scornfully. "Like you could protect anything!"

Kagome sighed heavily, feeling very crowded by her well-meaning _male_ friends. She looked around almost frantically, and latched on to the only female company she had left.

"Rin, would you like me to braid your hair?" the miko asked hopefully.

It was going to be a looong day.

_Hurry up and get back soon, Sango!_

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

"Are you ready for a bath, Rin?" Kagome smiled at the little girl. She'd been absolutely adorable to look after, and she could see why she'd won even Sesshomaru's heart. They'd picked flowers (Rin's going to Sesshomaru, of course), done up each other's hair, Kagome had told Rin and Shippo stories, watched them run around playing tag, and now she was thoroughly in need of a soak.

"I'll come keep watch!" Kouga leapt up eagerly, but Kagome didn't miss the lusty glint in his eyes. Apparently, neither did Inuyasha.

"Oh no you won't, you filthy wolf!" the hanyou snarled. "I'll keep watch!"

"I would be entirely honoured to put forward my services, Lady Kagome," Miroku said innocently, putting on his best holier-than-thou performance.

"Don't even think about it!" both Kouga and Inuyasha turned on the monk.

Kagome sighed, rolling her eyes at a giggling Rin. The girl turned quickly to her lord, smiling up at him charmingly. "Lord Sesshomaru can look after Rin and Kagome!" she said, causing all the others to look at her and the inuyoukai in shock.

"Don't be stupid, Rin!" Jaken interrupted, coming out of his sulking for a moment. He was thoroughly put out that they'd had to join a company of pathetic mortals, and even more so that his lord had lowered himself to taking care of his brother's wench. "Lord Sesshomaru is far too important to-"

Sesshomaru stood up, and started walking in the direction of the springs without saying a word.

"Eh?" Inuyasha almost choked. "There's no way I'm gonna let you-"

"It's fine, Inuyasha," Kagome smiled at him cheerfully. "Its not like you have anything to worry about, and at least he won't hurry me because he's getting bored!" She laughed at his expression, and followed after the youkai. She only stopped long enough to warn all of them: "You better not follow me ... or else!"

The three men stood, staring after the odd trio disappearing into the forest.

"Is it just me, or is there something a bit weird about that?" Kouga nodded in their direction.

"Fuckin' right." Inuyasha scowled.

Miroku settled for a longing look and a long sigh, before settling back down next to the fire. Shippo stared up at all of them, very confused.

"What are you all so disappointed about?" he asked, "Its not like you've lost a competition or anything." There was a long pause, before he had to hop out of the way to dodge a kick from the hanyou.

Miroku studied the fire thoughtfully, while Inuyasha started another squabble with Kouga.

Meanwhile, Kagome was getting more than she asked for. She'd set her things down, ready to follow after Rin who had already stripped and dived into the water. But when she looked to check Sesshomaru was looking the other way, she found something completely unexpected. The youkai was _taking off his armour_! Okay, maybe that wasn't very exciting, but she instantly flushed red and turned away quickly when he started taking off the rest of his clothes. But that wasn't before catching a glimpse of a _very_ well-sculpted chest.

"Um," she began, shifting nervously, "What are you doing?"

"Lord Sesshomaru often baths with Rin!" the little girl shouted helpfully, splashing around. "Come on, Kagome! You promised to wash Rin's hair! Please!"

Kagome glanced around quickly, just in time to catch the sight of the lowest portion of Sesshomaru's lower back disappearing beneath the water. She gulped and turned away again, taking a deep breath to calm her crazy fan-girl instincts (which were, of course, to dive-tackle the scorching hot youkai).

"You have nothing to fear, miko." Sesshomaru's voice had a deep edge of amusement, and Kagome scowled. She whirled around, hands on her hips. Luckily, the inuyoukai was submerged up to his waist, but that didn't hide the rest of his perfect features.

"I am _not_ afraid!" she snapped. "Just ... just ... embarrassed! You can't expect me to ... to _wash_ with you sitting right there _looking_!"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her outburst, before leaning back against a rock and closing his eyes. He shrugged, unconcerned. "Then you may wait for Inuyasha to supervise your bathing. It is of no consequence to me." He paused for a long moment, before a small smile tugged at his lips. "Perhaps you would prefer the company of that monk."

Kagome glared at him, but when he didn't spontaneously burst into flames she stomped her foot and started scrabbling around in her bag for her bathing costume ... but of course, she couldn't find it.

"Damn bikini! Where is it?!" she growled, ransacking every pocket, and she eventually found it. She put it on quickly, trying to keep herself covered with the towel while she did. Funnily enough, the bikini didn't seem to make her feel any less _bare_ than before. Maybe that was the effect of a very _male_ male sharing _her _spring ... The miko growled again irritably, before turning on the youkai again.

"Fine! But you better not look!" she ordered, tossing her towel aside and diving into the water up to her chin as quickly as she could. Soon Rin was settled in front of her, and she was washing the girl's hair, almost forgetting about Sesshomaru. After all, it was easy to forget a completely naked male with to-die-for hair sitting about three metres away.

"Kagome," Rin interrupted her thoughts, "Can Rin borrow that hair stuff?" The girl pointed to her shampoo.

"Sure, Rin. What for?" Kagome replied, but Rin was already wading up to the resting Sesshomaru.

"May Rin wash Lord Sesshomaru's hair?" she asked, looking up adoringly at the youkai.

He looked down at the little girl, but didn't hesitate long before inclining his head and turning around. Rin almost squealed with delight, and Kagome had to smile as she watched her happily struggling with Sesshomaru's masses of hair. She felt her own fingers twitch with a longing to touch it ...

She'd just finished washing her own hair, when Rin called her. "Will Kagome help Rin?" the girl asked, smiling innocently and pointing to Sesshomaru's hair. "Rin is too short, and Lord Sesshomaru won't mind."

Kagome narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the girl, but Rin's smile only grew more innocently pleading. _Damn but that girl can seriously pull off the puppy dog look. I can't believe I'm going to do this!_ She sighed in defeat, moving over to them.

She stared at Sesshomaru's back, feeling very awkward. Rin nudged her encouragingly, and Kagome finally started smoothing the shampoo into his hair, which was just as perfect as she'd imagined. The youkai obligingly tilted his head back, and she got the distinct feeling that he was laughing at her. At least it gave her a chance to examine his pointy ears, though his missing arm gave her a guilty chill. The edge of the wound seemed to blur almost, and it was obviously growing back slowly. He had half of his upper arm already. It was wrong, somehow, to see him with this imperfection.

After she'd washed his hair thoroughly, probably taking longer than necessary on it, she stepped back. "All done." she said softly, a strange catch in her voice.

Sesshomaru submerged, rinsing the shampoo out, and when he came back up he was facing her. He stared into her eyes, and her heart started thudding when his hand reached out towards her face. His thumb brushed against her cheek, pulling away to show her the soap suds that he'd wiped off.

Kagome flushed, ducking under the water quickly to wash off any remaining soap and swimming to where she'd left her towel. By the time she'd reached it, Sesshomaru was already dressed and looking in the direction of the camp. Kagome helped Rin to dry and get dressed in silence, smiling at the girl's chatter. Rin glanced at the two silent adults thoughtfully as they walked back, plotting the next step of her devious plan. It had been so close! Perhaps she'd have to involve Shippo, after all ...

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

A/N: Hahaha! I love Rin :) I think this is one of my favourite chapters – lots of tension, lots of laughs, and plenty of awkward moments. I hope its clear why Inuyasha was so upset – all his trust issues came to the surface when he smelled Naraku on Kagome. Just accept it (and any inconsistencies) as author's creative license (or desperate attempt to pull the story back on track) – they need tense moments to pull Sess in. Inuyasha got over it quickly, but hesitated long enough to upset Kagome, who is feeling pretty fragile as it is. I know she's not normally a push-over, but a near-attempted rape is enough to freak out anyone. Consider it a combination of drugs and trauma – shame, I'm really putting her through a lot!

PS: The hair-washing scene was not totally my idea, I got the idea from a fabulous fanfic author (whose name I've forgotten at the moment) so its not plagiarism (because its a quite different) but I acknowledge that author's superb writing and genius in the plot twist – you rock:)

PPS: Thanks for the reviews – you know who you are, and I really appreciate every one!


	8. Ch8: Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

**Chapter 8**

**Heart**

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

Kagome yawned widely as they wandered back into the campsite. She was oblivious to the intense stares from all her male companions, and to Sesshomaru tossing his head as he returned them arrogantly. Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, muttering to himself as he scowled at his half-brother. She missed the entire undertone running through the camp, heading straight for her bed after settling Rin and Shippo.

"I think these might help you with control," Miroku said, leaning over to pass her a string of beads.

The miko took them, feeling instantly the strange power running through the necklace. "What do I do with them?" she asked curiously.

"Just wear them around your neck. I put a general protection on them as well, though nothing I could do could protect you better than your own powers." The monk smiled at her, leaning back against a tree stump. "It won't block your powers, or work as a complete means of control, but it should help some."

"Thanks, Miroku," Kagome beamed back, putting the necklace on. She felt the faint pressure on her senses instantly. It felt like they were acting as a weak barrier, keeping the power within her skin. Whatever it did, it made her feel more secure. But as she laid back she realised she couldn't be any more safe, surrounded by people who cared about her and were ready to protect her. She rubbed her eyes, feeling tears there ready to fall, but she'd done enough crying.

Kagome glanced across the glow of the fire, and Sesshomaru was sitting there. He was closer than he used to sit when he first joined them, and the glow of the fire made him look completely unreal. It created flames of his eyes, turned his hair golden as well. It could never have been more apparent that he was not human.

She smiled when he caught her eyes, trying to convey in that smile all her gratitude, all her appreciation, all her feelings she couldn't name. And maybe his eyes softened ... or maybe she saw what she only wished to see.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

"_Kagome ..."_

_A spark was struck in the darkness._

"_Kagome ..."_

_The miko clutched her chest, because something inside was growing larger and larger, burning brighter and white-hot. It was eating her from the inside, until the glow reached her skin and she started to glow with the light of a sun._

_The brightness illuminated Inuyasha, staring at her and so concerned as he called her name again. "Kagome? What's wrong?"_

_Kagome shook her head violently, panting as she tried to hold the burning inside. "Don't come closer, Inuyasha! Don't come near me!"_

_He took a step closer, squinting at the light. "What's wrong? Kagome? Why are you glowing?"_

"_Run!" she screamed, the feeling inside reaching a critical point. "RUN!" But he was still staring at her when her powers exploded from her skin and turned to dust everything around her like the wrath of some god. _

"_INUYASHA! NO!" she felt the loss of him with the breaking of her heart. She fell to the ground in the ashes of all that was left, brushing the surface with her trembling hands._

"_Kagome?"_

_Her face lifted, filled with hope for an instant, but it was ripped away and replaced by despair when she saw that it wasn't Inuyasha. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at Sesshomaru._

"_What happened? Where is Inuyasha?" His face was impassive, but his eyes showed his concern._

"_I-it was an accident ... he ..." she sobbed, but her cries were interrupted when she felt it again. Her chest was getting tight, her power was growing inside her skin, saturating her body as it spread across her flesh. "Sesshomaru! Run away! GO!"_

_But she couldn't stop it, and he wouldn't leave. It played out just as before, but this time ... this time Sesshomaru was holding her when he turned into ashes in her hands. _

_Kagome stared down at her blackened clothes and skin, at the black earth around her. She would have cried, if she had any heart left. But it had splintered, it had been vaporised with that last blast that took away more from her than she could do without. It seemed like centuries that she sat there, an empty, broken shell._

"_Is this all it would take?" a black velvet voice asked. She was past concern, past caring when Naraku crouched at her side. He brushed his fingers across her cheek, admiring the eyes that he intended to use to find the jewel shards, but admiring more than that. He was driven to lust by the dead orbs in such a pretty face, knowing that he had broken the life that had burned behind them._

"_So now you have a taste of the consequences, Kagome ... you had better make up your mind soon, or I may decide that this situation is more to my liking than having you come to me willingly." _

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

"Kagome! Kagome, wake up!"

The girl surged out of her bed, tears still streaming down her face as she stared around her wildly. When her eyes met those of Inuyasha, who was crouched at her side and who had been trying to wake her, she threw her arms around him and hugged him so tightly she almost cut off his breathing.

"It's okay, Kagome," he said softly, soothing her.

"Inuyasha! I dreamt ..." she stopped, shuddering at the events of her nightmare.She let the hanyou go, and started looking around anxiously for the other victim of her dream. Sesshomaru was standing close by, having been affected by her screams as well. Kagome got up, and before she allowed herself to think about it too carefully she was hugging the inuyoukai as well.

Sesshomaru was once again thrown by her actions, and he looked down at the little miko, noticing that she'd begun to cry again. His hand went to support her back, resting hesitantly against her shirt. No creature had continued to surprise him or throw him off guard as much as this one.

"I'm so glad you're all okay." she murmured quietly, pulling away slowly. She didn't look up at the youkai, suddenly embarrassed by her very forward behaviour. "I'm sorry. It was just a nightmare."

She went back to her sleeping bag, crawling inside and closing her eyes, giving no one enough time to reply. Inuyasha moved away from her a bit, looking at her uncertainly. Sesshomaru settled down as well, but closer to her than he had been. The brothers did not exchange glances, keeping their eyes on the miko.

The camp settled back into silence, with Kagome pretending to be asleep. Although the youkai probably could tell she wasn't really sleeping, they respected her charade.

Only one voice disturbed the silence.

"Where's my hug?" came the pitiful whine from the wolf prince.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

Sango was still not back by noon the next day. Kagome sighed as she stared into space, wishing that her friend would arrive with a solution to all her problems. She was getting more and more anxious as her supply of pills were almost completely depleted, terrified after her nightmare about what could happen. They hadn't moved from their camp, wanting to make it as easy as possible for the demon slayer to find them. Inuyasha was getting more and more tense from the wait – he wasn't very patient to begin with, and all the youkai were affected by Kagome's anxiety. They couldn't help but feel it.

"Why the hell is she taking so fucking long?" Inuyasha grumbled, kicking a stone irritably.

"Sango will be as quick as she can, Inuyasha," Miroku said soothingly. "She wants to help Kagome as much as we all do."

They both glanced to where Kagome was laughing at Shippo's antics. The little youkai was trying his best to keep both her and Rin entertained. Miroku in particular noticed how pale the miko was looking, and he was as worried as the hanyou. _Hurry, Sango ... please come back quickly._

Kagome started coughing, she was laughing so hard at Shippo. The little fox was practising his illusions, making himself look like people they knew. He was very talented at imitating characters, although most still had a fox's tail, and had just put on a very convincing performance as Inuyasha. The miko looked at her hand, and saw the small spots of blood she'd coughed up. She had to hide her reaction and wipe them clean instantly. She smiled at Shippo, pretending that nothing had happened, and was thankful that none of the other youkai were too close. She had been feeling worse and worse, probably because she had been making herself go as long as possible without taking a pill to make them last.

She reached into her pocket, taking one and feeling her heart grow cold when she realised that there were only two left. Those would last her a few hours at most ... and what then? _What am I going to do? What if Sango doesn't come back? I can't ... I can't last ..._ She tugged at the beads around her neck. Their barrier didn't seem so substantial any more.

"I'm just going to get some water," she told the children, acting unconcerned.

"Let's go find Jaken, Rin!" Shippo said to his friend, and they both grinned wickedly. Kagome almost felt sorry for the little toad.

Almost.

No one was watching her ... no one was looking ... She walked slowly towards the trees, ducking beneath the branches. She stopped in the shadows, breathing deeply and wondering what the hell she was doing. No one was looking, but what if Sango came back any moment? What if Inuyasha found her running away? What could she say then? _"I'm going to find Naraku to get more pills or I'm going to kill you all because I can't control myself"_?

She leant against the tree, feeling the world closing in around her. _What am I doing?_

"Where are you going?"

Kagome jumped, turning towards Sesshomaru. The youkai looked so intimidating, with his white clothes and silver hair making him stand out from the shadows. He was staring at her with his piercing gold eyes, making her feel like he was looking into her soul.

She smiled, shrugging absently. "Nowhere. I just wanted a bit of quiet by myself."

"It's not safe."

"I know." Kagome stared down at her hands, and then surprised the youkai by beckoning him closer. She had to do something, just in case ... "There's something I need to tell you. Its really important."

After they had spoken, Sesshomaru surprised her by holding out his hand. Kagome looked up at him with wide eyes, smiling a real smile at last as she took his hand and let him lead her back to camp.

It was a tense few hours before Sango returned. Kagome had almost given up hope, with only one pill left that she was too scared to take until the last possible moment. When the youkai detected the demon slayer Kagome was leaning against a tree, wrapped in her sleeping bag with her friends surrounding her in a rough circle. Miroku had made her herbal tea when she'd refused to eat.

Sango and Kirara landed quickly, and Sango rushed to her side.

"Kagome ..." she froze for an instant, unable to believe how much the miko had changed. Kagome was so pale, and she seemed barely aware. Her breath rattled in her chest, and her hands where they lay on the covers were shaking.

Sango threw Miroku a small bag of herbs. "Quickly! Make her some tea with this!" She knelt at the girl's side, digging out another bag and passing a small pill of pressed powder to her friend. "Take this, Kagome. It'll help you." she murmured, bringing a cup of water to her lips and helping her tilt her head.

Kagome swallowed the tablet obediently. Sango watched her closely, and when she started to shake harder she nodded and waved the others close. "Hold her arms," she ordered the watchers, but none of them reacted immediately. She put a stick between her teeth when Kagome started convulsing so she didn't bite her tongue, and Sango lost her patience as she held the girl's head so she didn't hit it against anything. "Now!"

Inuyasha jumped forward and held one of Kagome's arms down. To his surprise, his brother took her other arm. Kouga held her legs. Even with three youkai, Kagome almost managed to throw them off. Her skin glowed as her powers swirled just beneath the surface, held in place by her will and Miroku's necklace of beads.

"What's happening?" Inuyasha asked the slayer anxiously. "What's wrong with her?!"

Sango shook her head. "It'll be alright, Inuyasha. Jinenji told me this might happen. The herb is purging the drugs from her system, while suppressing her powers. She should calm in a few moments, and the tea Miroku is making will help restore her."

The miko did stop shaking after what seemed like forever to those who had to watch her. Miroku brought her the tea, and they raised her carefully so that she could drink. Kagome shivered as she drank, but was relieved when the grey edge to her vision started to clear. She was crowded on all sides by her friends, and it comforted her while making her feel guilty at the same time. And then thick fur was placed around her shoulders.

Kagome met Sesshomaru's eyes gratefully, and she managed to give him a small smile. She thought she imagined the pelt curling around her more closely.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" Kouga asked her, crouching in front of her.

"I'm fine, thank you Kouga. Just really really tired." She smiled at him, then at Sango. "Thank you, Sango."

"What took you so long?" Inuyasha scowled at the demon slayer.

"Jinenji didn't grow the herbs that could help Kagome. I had to go fetch them. Believe me, I was as quick as I could be."

Miroku laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You did well, Sango. Kagome's fine."

Sango shook her head, looking at her friend again. "You must take these pressed tablets every time you start to feel the need, Kagome. You must have the tea three times a day after eating as well. They will help with the withdrawal from the other pills, but you have to destroy any that you have left. If you take them again, there is no guarantee that the cure will work a second time."

"I'd taken the last one," she said with a weary smile, the lie slipping easily from her lips. "So that's the end of it."

"You still probably won't feel very well, and your miko powers may not work until you've finished the course." Sango warned.

Kagome lay back and sighed. "I can deal with that," she replied, closing her eyes.

She could vaguely sense her friends moving away to give her some peace. They were talking softly among themselves – probably making a plan for the next few days. One person was still sitting by her side. Kagome reached out her hand, and curled her fingers around his. She could feel the fur beneath her head and torso smooth itself against her skin when his hand tightened on hers.

Then his hand opened, and Sesshomaru stood and walked away.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

Kagome lurched awake the next morning, getting up quickly to scrabble far enough into the bushes away from their camp that she could be sick without feeling too guilty. Sometimes, having companions with sensitive noses was just embarrassing. Sango followed her, brushing her hair back and handing her a cup of water. The miko leaned against her friend wretchedly.

"I'm sorry, Sango," she whispered, covering the mess with a pile of dirt.

"It's alright." her friend replied. "How about we have a wash after breakfast?"

Kagome smiled and nodded, the thought making her feel better already.

She avoided meeting any eyes when they got back into camp, even though she could feel them looking at her. But ... she couldn't sense them. Her miko powers were really gone. She ate a quick breakfast and downed a cup of that awful-tasting special tea, and followed Sango to the spring. Shippo and Rin were playing together, and were having too much fun getting dirty to join them.

The hot water made her feel so much better. Kagome sighed contentedly as she lay back in the water, wallowing in its heat.

"So, anything happen while I was gone?" Sango asked her after a while. The question was so innocently and casually worded that Kagome was instantly suspicious.

She arched an eyebrow, noting that Sango had her eyes carefully closed. "No. Other than being surrounded by way too much male testosterone, and almost dying, nothing happened. Why?"

The slayer shrugged. "Oh, no reason. Miroku just mentioned something about Sesshomaru deciding to watch over you while you and Rin bathed."

Kagome growled, and slapped the water. "That perverted monk! I'll hit him when I get back for starting rumours!" She shook her head. "Nothing happened, Sango. Sure, Sesshomaru surprised me when _he_ decided to bathe as well, but I didn't look. I swear!" she said vehemently, noting Sango's disbelief. "I mean, he's really good-looking ... gorgeous, really ... but he promised not to look and I didn't either! I just washed his hair ..." Kagome lowered her head and groaned. She didn't have to see Sango's expression – she knew how it sounded. "Its a long story. I tell you, Rin is far more devious than she looks! I swear she manoeuvred me into doing that."

"I don't know, Kagome," Sango replied, barely able to hide her laughter, "I think you're placing too much blame on the little girl ..." But her expression sobered after a few moments. "You have to be careful, Kagome. Sesshomaru is a Taiyoukai, and he's not someone to be taken lightly. I think you're being too trusting." She frowned slightly, remembering some things that had been worrying her. "I've seen the way you look at him sometimes, and the way he treats you. You're walking on dangerous ground."

Kagome unconsciously raised a hand to hold it over her heart. She looked down at her wavering reflection in the water. "I know, Sango. But ... I really do trust him. He's helped me so much, done things for me that he had no reason to do. There's so much more to him that what he appears to be."

Sango sighed. She knew Kagome too well to argue with her. The miko drew out the best in people – who was she to say Kagome hadn't brought out the best in Sesshomaru as well? Even if she hadn't really seen the side of him Kagome had.

"Just ... be careful of your heart, Kagome."

The miko nodded, and their conversation turned to more casual topics. Eventually they got out of the water and changed, heading back to camp. Sesshomaru knew he'd better be there before they got back, so that no one would question where he'd been. He thought on the slayer's words as he walked back, and he knew the truth in them. He himself had told Kagome that she trusted too easily, that she took youkai too lightly. And her feelings for him were ... foolish.

His blood called for her, demanded a taste of her despite his own rational beliefs. He refused to be brought low by a mortal woman. He was not his father.

_I am not my father._ He told himself that again and again, as he watched Kagome laugh and touch her friend lightly on the shoulder. As he watched the curve of her lips and the light in her eyes.

_I am not my father._

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A/N: Well! Bet you all weren't expecting another chapter so soon:) I've been made really happy by some wonderful reviews I've received for both this fic and my old one (thank you!), plus I'm going away for two weeks and couldn't leave you without the next instalment. This chapter is missing something, but that's because I've lengthened the story – it was supposed to progress a bit faster but I had a few more ideas, and its been well-received so far so I thought – why not? By the way, any of you who were wondering about the missing conversation between Kagome and Sesshomaru, take close note – its pretty important, and will be explained in a few chapters' time. Thanks again to those who reviewed – it means a lot to know you're happy with what I've written. Have an awesome next few weeks, all! I'm graduating soon (from my first university degree) and so looking forward to it and the big party afterwards XD

PS: I'm taking a lot of liberty with the whole drug-use thing, but I'm twisting everything to make the story work, so bear with me!

PPS: I've got an outline and the next chapter title – its called 'Heat', and you _really_ don't want to miss it ;P Sorry for the upcoming three weeks wait!


	9. Ch9: Heat

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha ... though I'd love to own Sesshomaru ;)

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**Chapter 9**

**Heat**

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They gave Kagome another days rest, steadfastly ignoring her protests. Even Inuyasha growled at her to shut up and rest. The hanyou watched her like a hawk, and he did care about her even though he argued otherwise. To pass time he picked fights with Kouga, and tried to provoke Sesshomaru. Kouga was practically a guaranteed distraction, and they had a number of brief, intense fights. Brief, because Kagome sat the hell out of him otherwise, and intense because he was holding in so much pent-up emotion.

Inuyasha wasn't stupid ... well, he wasn't _that_ stupid. He knew his brother and Kagome were getting a bit ... close. He knew because of the way Sesshomaru followed her with his eyes, and the way he stayed quite close to her. He also knew because:

"Hey, dumb-ass, why the hell are you letting your brother put the moves on _my_ woman?" Kouga had hissed at him.

"What the fuck are you talking about, you mangy wolf?" he'd snapped back.

"That!" Kouga had pointed, and Inuyasha turned to see Kagome ... _holding the youkai's hand_ for an instant before Sesshomaru stood and walked away. _And_ she kept stopping him from picking fights with the arrogant bastard!

The hanyou growled, just the memory making him furious. He knew Kagome wanted and deserved more than he could give – he'd made a promise to another woman, and it wasn't one he would break. But _still_! Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the Taiyoukai, where he was resting against a tree-trunk. _No way in _hell_ Kagome's going to get involved with _him_! Not Sesshomaru, not the flea-bitten wolf ... none of them! She'll help me find the shards, and that's it. Think it's about fucking time they both left._ Jinenji had told Sango of a village with a particularly vicious youkai. It was the only lead they had to another shard.

"Oi, you lot!" he called, gaining the attention of his band. "We're leaving tomorrow for that village Sango said Jinenji heard of. You've spent too much time on your lazy asses – we need another shard!"

"It would be good to get moving again," Miroku agreed mildly.

"But what are we going to do if Kagome can't detect shards?" Shippo asked anxiously.

Inuyasha gave the girl a sidelong glance, before shrugging. She didn't meet his eyes. "We'll do it the old-fashioned way. Rip the fucker into pieces until we find it." His grin was more than a little bloodthirsty. The inactivity hadn't suited him either.

"Shall I accompany you, my dear Kagome?" Kouga had knelt at her side in an instant. He held her hands tenderly in his, gracing her with his most charming smile.

Kagome's eyes flashed to the side, where Sesshomaru was sitting. The youkai was gracing Kouga with a distinctly threatening glare. "No, Kouga, but thank you. I'm sure you have more important things to deal with. Your pack needs you more than I do."

The wolf grinned up at her. "You are so gracious, just what I would expect from my woman! It has been a pleasure seeing you, and do not hesitate to call for me. That hanyou lout doesn't have the wit to take proper care of you." Kagome gave a nervous laugh, knowing that Inuyasha was fuming on one side of her, and Sesshomaru was getting angrier on the other side. Things weren't looking good for the wolf if he didn't keep his mouth shut. But then Kouga raised her hand to his lips.

Inexplicably, he stopped halfway. The wolf froze for a second, before he shot her a wide and nervous smile and shot off into the distance. Kagome blinked, staring down at the spot that Kouga had been occupying moments before with confusion. She looked at Inuyasha, but the hanyou's eyes were looking elsewhere. The miko followed them slowly ... to Sesshomaru. Inuyasha was staring in shock at his half-brother, his mouth slightly open.

And Sesshomaru was sitting calmly, leaning against the tree with his eyes closed ...

As if the vicious subliminal growl that had scared Kouga off hadn't come from him.

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Inuyasha was particularly grouchy when he snapped at them to get them moving the next morning. Nothing could remove the scowl from his face – not even Miroku getting slammed by Sango again. Instead, he shouted at the slayer for delaying their departure while the priest took a few moments to recover. Luckily he had a pretty hard head.

The worst moment came when Sesshomaru stood as they were about to move out. It seemed that it had been this that Inuyasha had been waiting for, because he snarled at his half-brother before he could move a step.

"Where the hell do you think _you're_ going?" He laid his hand on his sword warningly, and Kagome noticed how tight his fist was around the hilt.

_This is going to be bad ..._ The priestess thought worriedly. "Inuyasha -" she began, trying to run interference, but the hanyou was having none if it.

"Shut up, wench!" he growled, not even looking at her. Kagome winced back, hurt by the savagery in his voice. She looked down, blinking rapidly. It was amazing how he could still make her feel so worthless. "You've protected him long enough!" Inuyasha was still speaking, but Kagome wasn't listening. All she could hear was the roaring in her ears, and feel the ache in her heart.

Inuyasha glanced towards her for a moment, smelling her welling tears. He opened his mouth to tell her to _Stop crying Dammit! Sesshomaru is dangerous and I'm not going to let him get close to you!_, but he was stopped by a hand closing like a vice around his throat. Sesshomaru had taken advantage of his lapse to dig his claws into the whelp's flesh.

Inuyasha lifted his hands to try pry off the youkai, but Sesshomaru was having none of it. He pulled the hanyou close to his face, and tightened his claws until the worthless creature's bones creaked. Inuyasha glared back at him, but he hadn't been prepared for the pure fury in his brother's eyes. The youkai was barely holding on to his control.

"You idiotic, worthless bastard," Sesshomaru growled, his voice too low for the humans to hear. His words were spoken with such poison that Inuyasha almost flinched. "_You_ will never dictate to me ... do you understand? _You_ will never defeat me, or stand in my way. I will stay with your band as long as it suits me, until Naraku pays for crossing me. You would do well not to test this Sesshomaru, unless you wish your head to long for your body after I part them." He lowered his voice even further, as red fury swam along the edges of his eyes. "And do not think that Kagome will always be able to _protect_ _you_ from me." With those last words, he dropped Inuyasha at his feet. The youkai looked down at his choking brother for a long moment, before he walked away. He paused briefly as he passed the miko.

Kagome looked towards the cursing Inuyasha. She was watching him as Sesshomaru walked towards her. The youkai was composed, as if he hadn't just been at his half-brother's throat. He paused as he reached her shoulder, his just brushing against hers. Kagome didn't try to look at him. She was ashamed of her weakness, of her fragile heart.

"He is not worth your tears." Sesshomaru surprised her by speaking softly.

Kagome glanced up at him, her eyes wide. The youkai met her eyes for a brief moment before walking on. The priestess rubbed her face dry roughly, staring at Inuyasha again. One side of her wanted to rush to his side, to make sure he was alright. But that side lost to the desire to follow the youkai who looked at her with a growing compassion, who made her feel such ... heat.

So the miko shouldered her pack, and turned to follow Sesshomaru. She slowed when she was walking at his side, and graced him with a happy smile when he looked down at her. The miko ignored his raised eyebrow at her sudden enthusiasm. She took her steps with a lighter heart, and for a few moments forgot about her worries – about Inuyasha and Naraku, about the Shikon and her blocked miko powers. For now she was just Kagome, and she was with friends.

Slowly the rest moved after her, with Sango casting worried glances between the priestess and hanyou. Miroku laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Let him regain his composure," he told the slayer. "We're going in the right direction, and he won't take long to catch up."

Inuyasha wasn't stupid ... even if he acted like he was sometimes. Mostly he just said the wrong things, especially where Kagome was concerned. So now he'd upset her so much that she hadn't even come to check whether that bloody Sesshomaru had sliced his neck open. The hanyou raised his hand to his neck, touching the bruised and bleeding skin tentatively. He cursed again, thinking about his half-brother. He'd been furious that Inuyasha had tried to tell him what to do. It could be only Naraku that kept the youkai near by. Kagome was acting like bait for the spider bastard, sure, but ...

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as he watched his brother's back, and he tracked Kagome walking faster until she reached his side. They didn't speak, but that didn't make much difference.

How much of Sesshomaru's anger was about Inuyasha trying to order him around, and how much was because the hanyou had made Kagome cry?

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With her powers blocked, Kagome didn't sense them coming. It wasn't that unusual for her not to sense an approaching enemy, but that didn't stop her from feeling frustrated at a perceived failure. It was another in the lengthening list of failures she was holding herself at fault for. _Being dumb enough to fall in the well, breaking the Shikon, becoming a pill addict, lying to my friends, family and school ... pretty much the world in general. Not being good enough for any of them. Being too weak, too young ... a poor shot ... dumb ... naïve ... weak ... weak ... _weak_._

She was a bit slow in drawing an arrow when Sesshomaru and Inuyasha warned them of a large smelly creature coming closer, being sunk in self-pity. The hanyou's sneezes and the even-more-pronounced-than-usual look of disgust on the youkai's face gave them warning that the enemy was _really_ smelly, but when it came closer even the poor mortals started choking.

Smelly was nowhere _close_ to describing the vile, horrendous, slaughter-house _reek_ of the approaching youkai. The sickly-sweet smell of rotting corpses, the overpowering stench of fungi and decomposing garbage, of burning meat and even the hint of stink-bug ... Whatever was coming their way, it definitely wasn't going to be pretty.

The youkai and Inuyasha were suffering the most. The hanyou looked visibly sick, and Shippo had gone green. It took little encouragement from Sesshomaru (just a pointed look) to send the fox kit with Rin and Jaken on Ah-Un off in the opposite direction from the smell. Kirara was agitated, but she refused to leave Sango's side.

"What do you think it is, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked. His voice was slightly muffled, because he was trying his best not to breath through his nose.

"Like I give a fuck," the hanyou snapped. His mood hadn't improved much, and he looked like he was anticipating a bloody fight. "It's not going to be around very long!" He drew his sword, and leaped into the forest towards the smell.

"Inuyasha! Wait! We don't know what it is!" Kagome shouted after him, but he was already gone. The miko stared anxiously into the thick forest. She didn't like how silent it was around them, and hated how her senses were again limited to those of a powerless mortal. The girl scowled and stomped her foot. "That dumb mutt! What is he thinking, rushing off like that?!"

A crash interrupted Kagome's irritated rant about Inuyasha's carelessness. The hanyou came flying backwards through the trees towards them. He landed a few metres away from Sango, creating a deep furrow in the earth as he skidded to a stop. Inuyasha shook his head, snarled, and leapt forwards again. He completely ignored their stunned stares.

Miroku shrugged wryly. "I suppose we'd better follow." The monk started jogging after the hanyou. Sango followed after him, and after rolling her eyes Kagome went with.

But the sight that met their eyes when they saw the creature Inuyasha was fighting stopped them in their tracks. Kagome's brow furrowed for a moment. _I didn't think it was possible to get so many tentacles on one body ..._ The youkai was like Naraku on steroids – a body made up of tentacles, layer upon layer of teeth, and a horrifyingly disgusting breath. She didn't want to think about what it had been eating to create such a horrible smell.

One of the huge appendages whipped towards Inuyasha, but was stopped by Sango's hiraikotsu. The giant boomerang lopped off a few others as it flew in a tight arc around the creature before returning to the slayer. The youkai gave a dull roar, and its attention turned to them. Kagome ran aside as a few tentacles lashed out at them. _How can it see? It doesn't have any eyes!_ With that smell, it definitely wasn't relying on its nose to detect them. The miko squinted, looking closer at it as the others engaged it from all sides. Miroku couldn't use his wind tunnel because then they would lose the shard if it had one, and it had so many arms that it would take a while to destroy all of them. But if it couldn't see them, then that would surely help ...

Finally she saw them. The youkai had two small compound eyes at the end of small stalks on either side of the maw that made up its mouth. Kagome stopped long enough to wonder what type of hellish combination the thing came from, before lifting her bow.

The miko frowned at the small moving target. She didn't have the advantage of her full-strength powers which would have purified everything in the vicinity of the arrow. Her shot was going to have to be really accurate this time ... She sighted along the arrow, trying to account for movements and wind, keeping her arm straight and making sure it wasn't turned inwards. She'd had enough scrapes from the string hitting her arm to know that it hurt when she got it wrong. The miko took a deep breath, and released.

She didn't move to watch the arrow's flight immediately, unwilling to see it miss. But when the creature roared she finally looked.

"It worked!" Kagome laughed, seeing that one of the eyes had an arrow sticking right through it, and the faint burn of her weakened powers that prevented it from healing. "Yes!" she punched the air happily. She could have kicked herself then. She never learnt to pay enough attention to her surroundings.

"_Kagome!_"

She heard Sango shout, but she hadn't even lifted her head when she was hit from the side. Something wrapped around her waist as she went flying through the air, only to hit the ground rolling. She rolled for a long way through the underbrush before coming to a stop.

Kagome blinked blearily up at fuzzy white figure lying on top of her. Sesshomaru swam into focus, and Kagome realised that he must have knocked her over, taking her out of the way of the infuriated youkai whose eye she had impaled. She realised she was staring up at him a bit stupidly, and focussed on his ear rather than meeting his eyes. There followed what felt like the longest silent moment in history, where she could only hear their combined breathing. She could just feel the warmth of his breath across her cheek.

It was a strange thing to do, but her hand reached out of its own accord to remove a twig in the hair by his face. And then, because her hand was so close and because she'd been wanting to do it for so long, and because her brain had been frazzled by the roll through the dirt, she let her fingers brush lightly against the markings on his cheek.

When he didn't jerk away from her, Kagome hesitantly let her fingers trail along the length of the marks. He was looking at her so _intensely_ that she had to suppress a shudder. Sesshomaru shifted to free his own hand, bringing it up to trail along her skin. He let his fingers rest on her lips, staring down at them as if seeing for the first time. Kagome held her breath as his head bent ever closer.

But time stopped when he finally kissed her.

A soft brushing of lips, then pressing more firmly, then a heady exploration. His mouth was hot, demanding, barely controlled. And the sound, the almost inaudible vibration in his chest, was unbearably erotic – a reminder of the fires that burned beneath his immortal skin. The surrounding sounds fell away, and Kagome could only hear her heart beating, she could only feel the heat Sesshomaru gave her. She was awash in it, in the heat of his mouth and the hard planes of his body. And Sesshomaru was lost in her softness, in her sweet scent and alluring taste. In the way she could make him forget everything for a few delicious moments ...

Kagome was arching her body up to press against him as his hand trailed teasing claws down her side when his heat was ripped away. She stared up hazily, and the youkai she'd been in the middle of an intimate encounter with was standing a few metres away from her, looking back with a clenched fist.

Sesshomaru looked down at the miko where she lay on the grass. Lay ready and willing ... It made his body ache with want, but he would control it. He had to control it. He had allowed his instincts to get carried away for a moment (_a few _delicious_ moments_), but that was enough. He was Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands. He hated humans, and believed that interspecies relations were nothing more than _disgusting_ and forbidden. But ... the way she was looking at him, with her moist lips and wide eyes ... the heat he knew she was feeling ... _he wanted to fall into her, to take her on the ground, against a tree, with her writhing in ecstasy and gasping his name_ _because she had breath for nothing else _...

Kagome shuddered at the lust in his eyes, at the way his iron-hard control faded visibly and had to force herself to pull together, sitting up slowly. She drew a deep breath and nodded in the direction of where the others must still be battling the stinking tentacle-demon, judging by the distant sounds. "If you destroy its other eye, it should be easier to kill it." she told him softly.

The youkai watched her for a long moment, suppressing a shudder at the sight of her, at how perfect she looked with her dishevelled clothes and hair and that blush of heat across her skin. Finally he nodded his acknowledgement and moving back to the fight. He suppressed a growl as he moved further and further away from her, her damned tantalising scent, and his own desire. _Fucking hell, he needed to kill something ..._

The miko hugged her knees and shivered again. It was so cold without him pressed against her ... _No. You can't repeat what just happened, and he doesn't want to either. Not really. Its against everything he believes in. What would Inuyasha think? It'd kill him. Don't get attached to attractive youkai ... don't get attached to delicious youkai ... don't get attached to drop-dead gorgeous, damn sexy and completely unattainable youkai ..._

_Completely unattainable? Then what about what just happened?_

Kagome got up with some difficulty – she was still weak at the knees from the most sexy kiss she'd ever experienced – and proceeded to swear with all the proficiency she'd learnt from Inuyasha and modern-era television.

_Kagome, you idiot! How the hell did everything suddenly become even _more_ complicated?!_

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A/N: Hey all! Sorry this chapter is a little shorter – the next will hopefully be more in line with my usual word count. I'm sure you all didn't miss me that much, but I'm happy to be updating again – would be happier if it didn't mean I was back at university. My holiday was amazing though! Went to the most awesome concert. We don't get many international bands in South Africa that often, so it was a true pleasure (and mind-blowing) to see 30 Seconds to Mars and Muse live. I wish I could do it all over again. Back to the fic though, I'm having vague story-line problems and was wondering if anyone wants anything in particular? Other than for Sessh and Kags to shack up ... we'll have to see if that will happen or not. Heehee. The next two chapters are planned, then I need my creativity to kick in. By the way, I know Kags may seem to be a bit self-absorbed, but everyone is entitled to self-doubt especially after what she's gone through.

Thanks a million again for those wonderful reviews! The boost helps when I have a slave-driving (and unfortunately nice) supervisor who expects results asap. I had to fight for my holiday or I was going to go mad :)


	10. Ch10: Attraction

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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**Chapter 10**

**Attraction**

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"Why do they always have to _explode?_" Kagome groaned. She'd of course got back to the group just as Inuyasha dealt the final blow to the reeking youkai – just in time to be covered with pieces of flying intestine and tentacle. It was just what she'd needed to forget about Sesshomaru kissing her ... The miko sent him a surreptitious glance, but he still wasn't looking her way. _Damn it._ As if she could ever forget an experience like _that_! Her lips still felt all tingly and her skin was still warm where he'd touched her. Her mind was really quick to rush and dive head-first into the gutter, picturing what could have happened if he hadn't pulled away ...

Kagome jumped when a hand touched her shoulder, but it was only Sango. The demon slayer smiled sympathetically at her. "Are you alright, Kagome? I'm so glad Lord Sesshomaru managed to move you out of the way before that youkai hit you."

They ignored the loud "Keh!" from Inuyasha.

"Indeed," Miroku agreed. "It is truly fortunate. You should be more careful while your powers are suppressed, Kagome. I'm surprised that your arrow still purified even part of that youkai."

The miko shrugged. "I think it leaks out unconsciously. I don't feel like its going to go out of control any time soon." She grimaced when she noticed how shrugging made her clothes and skin grate with the drying, reeking youkai flesh. "What I do feel like is a good wash – and you better have one too, Inuyasha!"

"Stupid girl!" the hanyou was indignant. "Do you think I like the filthy stench either?!" He turned his back on her, leaving all of them behind.

Kagome stared after him sadly. He was upset with her, she knew, and she didn't want that. Despite everything, Inuyasha was still her best friend.

Sango caught her gently by the arm, pulling her off in another direction. "Come on, Kagome," she told the girl softly. "Let's go bathe. It'll make you feel better."

"Mmm." Kagome's eyes moved from the direction Inuyasha left to his brother. The youkai wasn't looking at her. Out of all of them, he'd got the least gore-splatter, but he was moving off as well. She guessed he was going to wash. The memory of Sesshomaru's divine body from the last time they'd bathed together came flooding back, and she had to turn away when she flushed with embarrassment. Kagome didn't notice that there were two pairs of eyes watching her expression.

Sango and Miroku shared a look, but Miroku was probably the only one who noticed how stiffly Sesshomaru was walking away, or the hitch in his step when Kagome flushed red.

When they were alone, Sango considered asking her friend more probing questions about her relationship with a certain youkai, but the slayer wasn't the type of person who could do that. So, as worried as she was, Sango kept quiet. She could only hope that Kagome knew what she was doing.

Kagome could also only hope that she knew what she was doing. She was finding it increasingly difficult to drag her mind out of the gutter now it had strayed there. And, as many people do when they're desperately trying to distract themselves, girls in particular, she turned to her friend for assistance.

"So, Sango, how is Miroku lately?"

The slayer frowned at her friend suspiciously, but Kagome was leaning back in the water with her eyes innocently closed. "That pervert would be a better one to ask, Kagome. He's just lucky his skull is so thick." She sighed, the thought of the monk frustrating her. "If he weren't so useful with his staff, then I would be happy to be well rid of him."

There was a resounding, vibrant silence across the water. Sango felt a rising trepidation as she watched Kagome freeze, before opening her eyes and turning slowly to look at her. The expression on the miko's face was just ... worrying.

Kagome looked like she was holding back a number of emotions. "His ... sorry," she choked, "Did you say his _staff_ is _useful_?"

Sango stared at her in horror. "_Kagome!_ You know very well that I wasn't meaning _that_! I was talking about his _holy _staff!"

The other girl covered her mouth with her hand. "_Really_?" she coughed, "His _holy staff_?"

"The – his stick, his _rod_ ... _damn it Kagome_!_ Stop laughing at me_!" But Sango couldn't bring herself to be angry with her friend, because it was far too nice to see her laugh and smile again. Even if it was over something so perverted. That didn't mean she couldn't get her back.

Kagome was too busy laughing to notice Sango's intent stare, and paid for her inattention with a mouthful of water when she found herself shoved under. The miko came up shrieking, splashing Sango vigorously while trying to defend herself from retaliation.

Perhaps it wasn't entirely Miroku's fault that he'd been close enough to hear the commotion, and came to check that they weren't being attacked.

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"I feel so much better!" Kagome sighed contentedly, rubbing her hair dry as she plonked next to their camp fire. It was still light, but she felt ready to sleep.

"Owww." Miroku groaned, coming around and rubbing the two bumps on his head.

"Serves you right, monk," Sango snapped at him. "Came to 'check on us', indeed!"

"Kagomeee!" Shippo and Rin came running up to the little miko. "Won't you play with us?" Shippo begged, making the most of his big innocent eyes. "Pleaseee!" Rin added, using her sweet smile as extra weaponry.

Kagome sighed internally, but gave them a smile of her own. "Of course. What are we playing?"

The kids grinned, and in an instant had leapt forward to touch her before darting away. "TAG!" they shouted gleefully, running together into the woods.

"Not too far, you two!" she called after them, pulling herself up. She chased after the scoundrels, leaving Sango to watch the pot of food on the fire with Miroku to offer commentary and Inuyasha sitting up in his tree, still not talking to her.

Kagome stalked through the woods, lead onwards by the odd giggle and the rustle of running feet. She kept on after them, feeling a vague sense of growing apprehension as the woods grew darker and more quiet. There weren't even any birds calling. The miko tread forward hesitantly, about to call for the children when she stumbled on the source of the silence in the forest.

Sesshomaru loomed out of the dark like some marble god. The swish of his hair as he turned to look at her, his movements with that unnatural fluidness that made him a youkai, made her heart ache. The white and silver seemed to glow, drawing her closer against her will. Faintly Kagome could hear giggling, and scuffling as Rin and Shippo ran back to the camp.

"Those two are going to hear it from me," she managed to whisper faintly, holding her ground. On some level she didn't even hear her own words. That was the level that was longing to fall at the youkai's feet, and beg him to finish what he started with that molten kiss.

And when he started advancing on her, with silent predatory steps, Kagome tried to keep her mind clear and backed away. But in a forest full of trees, you can only walk backwards so far. Thankfully she didn't trip and fall, because it could have been difficult to avoid him if they both ended up on the ground (again), but her back hitting a tree didn't give her many more options of retreat.

The miko turned her head to the side. She closed her eyes, because if she saw him looking at her like he was again, all her resistance would melt away. It was hard enough to feel the heat radiating from him as he came close, and not reach out to touch him.

"Don't, Sesshomaru," she murmured softly. "This isn't right – not for you."

The youkai's eyes searched every part of her face. Her smooth skin, marred only by the lines of concern, of worry. She always fretted about everyone else, and never spared a thought for herself. That was part of what had got her into the mess she was in with Naraku. It was also what had drawn him to her.

Thoughts of her had haunted him, his every waking moment. It didn't seem to matter how wrong it was, how against his principles. He wanted to fall into her, and keep falling until he'd left behind all the tense anger that existed when she wasn't around to share her peace. His life was full of darkness, of rage and blood, and Rin had been the first to bring a little light. But Kagome ... Kagome brought so much more. It was inexplicable, what she did to him. And he couldn't help himself from wanting to taste more.

Sesshomaru brushed his hand against her face, letting his claws entangle themselves in her ebony hair. He leaned in to slide his cheek along hers, drawing in her sweet smell and letting him trace the shell of her ear with his lips. Her hesitation only made him want her more, but she couldn't resist long. Their lips met in a bruising kiss, made all the more delicious because it was forbidden. Kagome gasped as he pressed closer, trapping her against the bark. His forcefulness didn't scare her, because she knew he would never hurt her. It was only more of his real self that she was seeing – the youkai beneath the mortal mask. What scared her a little was her own passion, her own need. But she gave him control, following his lead. And though he thought her foolish for it, he treasured her trust.

He slid his hand over her skin, enjoying the feeling of her blunt nails digging in to his shoulders. She was so small, so fragile, and innocent. It was her innocence that stopped him from tearing her clothes off – that, and the fact that what he was allowing to happen was so wrong. He took an uncharacteristic amount of care with her, keeping his touches from roaming too far. His mouth strayed to her throat, delving into her scent and drawing soft strangled sounds from her lips. He bit her skin softly, feeling the frenzied pumping of her heated blood below the surface.

It was too much, too forbidden. But after the bond they'd formed between them, it was irresistible. It was an attraction that took away logic, and defied thought.

Sesshomaru slowly pulled away, knowing that things would go too far if he didn't. He was used to controlling his urges, having kept the beast in check for centuries. And when he had himself back in control, he had to stop himself from killing her. She threatened everything he believed in, and that made her dangerous – made her a weakness that should be eliminated.

Kagome didn't seem to detect the change in his mood, or if she did she ignored it. Her trusting nature insisted that he wouldn't hurt her. She reached out and touched his arm, and then his cheek.

"I should kill you." he spoke at last, while realising that he wasn't going to. Somehow the decision had already been made.

The miko didn't flinch. She smiled at him almost sadly. "I should be afraid of you." she replied. But she wasn't, and she never would be.

Miko and youkai shared a long, silent glance. Finally, she twined her fingers in his. "We should get back."

"So we should," he agreed tonelessly. He pulled her close enough so that he could breathe her in, before he let her lead him towards the camp.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

It was barely an hour later that they were attacked – hardly a coincidence when Kagome thought about it much later. Naraku had been waiting for her to feel like she'd got free, and had chosen to make a move to prove how wrong she was. This time there were five of his super-charged puppets as well as the poisonous wasps and a few smaller scurrying youkai that were mindless and bloodthirsty. Kagome didn't sense them coming, and knew only when Sesshomaru alerted them. Her powers were completely out of commission.

"We have company coming." the inuyoukai said suddenly, putting the rest on instant alert.

"This stinks of Naraku, so watch Kagome!" Inuyasha ordered as he drew his sword.

"I'll be fine, Inuyasha." Kagome cocked an arrow, trying to stretch her non-existent senses. "Keep close to Ah-Un, Rin, Shippo," she warned them. "And you better look after them, Jaken!"

The toad muttered angrily, but shut up when his lord repeated her orders.

When they arrived, they seemed to come from everywhere all at once. The puppets were as unoriginal as any of Naraku's creations, but their speed and power was again increased by what she could only guess to be jewel shards. Kagome was too afraid to release an arrow, for fear she'd hit any of her friends with the speed they were moving. It was the smaller enemies that proved the most troublesome, because they scuttled close to the ground like spiders but were unbelievably fast.

"Look out!" Kagome shouted. "Those spiders are poisonous!" She'd noticed the yellow slime on their pincers, fear for her friends making her heart beat faster and faster. Sesshomaru had managed to kill one, being as fast as he was, and was after the others but they had the puppets to deal with as well. If any of them were infected with that venom ...

Inuyasha swung his sword at the nearest puppet, fighting it viciously. The creature's tentacles came far too close to a nasty hit at his head, but the hanyou dodged in time. Sango was trying to destroy the spiders from a distance, but they were too fast for her hiraikotsu unless she caught them by surprise. Jaken was blasting anything that came too close with his staff, and had managed to incinerate two spiders. Pretty impressive for a toad. And she ...

She didn't even have her powers to help them. Any arrow she shot would be almost useless, with so little power that she'd have to hit the things dead on and with her aim that was unlikely.

Kagome clenched her fists, feeling that familiar helplessness welling up inside. The one that made her believe that she was nothing, was worthless. And even the thought of Sesshomaru didn't make it any better. She was so confused about what was happening between them – what she wanted and what was forbidden. It was a twisted mess that would hurt Inuyasha when he found out, if he did.

She couldn't do anything to help them ... unless ... _You didn't throw the last one away, Kagome._ The voice hissed in her mind, insidious and seductive. _But they don't need me,_ she insisted, wincing when Inuyasha was thrown across the clearing. _They don't need that from me. Not again. The cure might not work a second time._ But her excuses weren't enough for the craving she'd thought had been cured. It had waited, bided its time until she was weak enough to hear its whispers. _Are you going to risk your friends for a chance?_ Before she knew what she was doing, she had the pill in her hand, remembering how powerful it made her feel. The world around her faded away, and suddenly it wasn't a struggle to save her friends – it was a struggle to save herself.

_Is this why these things are so dangerous?_ She wondered vaguely, hearing the fight through a fog. _Because I crave the feeling they gave me rather than the things themselves? I want to feel that again. I want that power, that control. Maybe ... maybe I can take it and it won't affect me. I can control this – it doesn't control me. _

And before the argument that was swayed more by addiction than reason was even concluded, the miko crushed the pill into powder in her hand and swallowed it quickly so that it would act as fast as possible.

Almost immediately she fell against a tree trunk, grasping the wood weakly when the full effect of the drug hit. It swept through her thoughts and veins, eating her from the inside. Her powers pulsed against the barrier of her skin, and the barrier provided by Miroku's beaded necklace. Her powers were back, but they were by no means in her control. It had been too long and not long enough since she last took one – the pill worked, but one wasn't enough. As quickly as the drug acted, it faded away to be replaced by something much darker.

Her craving crept up on her, blackening her vision and making her hands shake so much she wouldn't have trusted herself to shoot a target a metre away.

It was then that she felt the tug of a very large portion of the Shikon. The presence of such a large shard could only mean one thing. Kagome glanced behind her, and she saw a glint of white – Naraku's baboon suit. She was so afraid of him, but greater than her fear of the spider-hanyou was her fear of her nightmares coming true, and greater than that was her craving. It was a raging demon in her breast that wouldn't be denied, wouldn't be suppressed or ignored.

Kagome started to back away to that section of trees almost against her will, driven by something that wasn't in her control. The others didn't notice, or they just thought she was getting to a safer position. They were too distracted by the fight, though two puppets had been destroyed already. When Kagome knew she was close enough for him to hear her she stopped.

"What do you want, Naraku?"

"You know what I want, Kagome. You. I want you." he replied softly, his tone making her shudder.

"What makes you think you'll get me?" she asked sharply, ignoring her building need. She hated the creature who whispered his insidious lies and twisted truths just so that he could destroy the lives of others. "I don't want anything you could offer. I'd rather die than take anything from you!"

Naraku chuckled softly. "I think you are forgetting who holds all the power here, little miko. I have those pills you long for so much, but more than that – I hold the lives of your friends in my hands. I wonder how the taijiya would feel if she watched the monk swallowed by my curse and her little brother die before her eyes in one day? Do you think it would hurt her enough so that she would end her life honourably? And that little fox kit of yours, and the young girl – how long do you think they will be able to avoid the fight? How would Inuyasha feel if his beloved Kikyou finally found her eternal rest?" The youkai's smile widened as he watched the effect of his words etched into her eyes. "My reach is longer than you think, Kagome. I have let your group get away lightly so far, but events could get far, far worse. This is no game, miko. When your friends die, they will be _dead_ ... and _you_ could prevent it all ..."

"You can't ..." she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks as she watched her friends fight Naraku's creations, unaware that she was so close to the devil himself.

And the devil stared at her, feeling pleasure at watching her soul shatter into pieces. He desired to possess her more than he wanted anything, other than the entire jewel. "Oh, I can, Kagome. And I will, unless you come with me. Perhaps, if you do, I will grant you some ... favours. I am not entirely unreasonable." he hissed persuasively.

_Why was I so stupid?_ she asked herself, sunk in despair. _If I hadn't taken the pill ... but he probably would have come after me anyway. He would have found some way to make me agree to go with him. How can I? How can't I? He'll take everything from me ... but I can't watch him take everything from them. Not from the ones I love._

"Promise you won't kill any of them?" she asked, defeated. "And ... release Miroku from his curse. If you leave them all alone ..." She couldn't even finish saying the words, disgusted by them. And she couldn't even let herself _think_ about Sesshomaru ... although he was the one she followed with her eyes.

"You will do what I say," he added unwaveringly.

Kagome's breath caught as she felt her nightmares closing in on her. "But I won't hurt anyone," she countered.

"Very well." he replied smugly, and Kagome could sense him coming closer. She tensed but didn't fight when he slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest. His one hand opened to show two pills in his palm, and she took them quickly.

"Kagome!" Sango had seen them, and she couldn't look up because she knew the rest would now be looking at her. They'd destroyed the last of the enemies, but not in time to prevent what they'd all been worried about.

"Let her go you fucking coward!" Inuyasha snarled, coming towards them with his sword drawn.

"Don't come closer," Naraku warned, his hand going to Kagome's throat and stopping Inuyasha in his tracks. "Why should I let go of something that came to me of its own free will?" he gloated, enjoying the disbelief on his enemies' faces.

Kagome met Inuyasha's eyes for a brief moment, tears welling up in hers. She couldn't take her betrayal of them all, but it was Sesshomaru who she looked at the longest. In his eyes she could see the rage, as well as the understanding. He knew why she was leaving, but he wasn't going to let her go that easily.

"I'm sorry ..." she whispered, shaking as she let her eyes fall. She regained her spark long enough to snap at her captor. "Keep your end, Naraku, or I'll purify you."

The hanyou laughed, amused that she still retained some spirit. "As if you could without hurting those you _love _as well! But just for you, my dear," he pressed his cheek against her hair with an evil smile. "Watch your hand, monk." he called out to Miroku, "Be glad that I am humouring this delightful new toy of mine, or you would be a mere hole in the ground before long."

"Kagome ..." Miroku said, filled with relief and horror as he looked at the whole palm of his right hand. The void was gone. "Kagome, you didn't ..."

"And Kohaku," she forced out among her tears.

"He will be a corpse when I remove the shard," the hanyou warned her.

"Just give him time with Sango," she begged, hating herself for it.

Naraku smirked as he pulled her closer, meeting Inuyasha's eyes as he pressed his lips against her hair. "Hmm. Perhaps I will do this for you, Kagome. But the time's up for goodbyes."

"Stop." Sesshomaru's growl halted the hanyou. They were all taken aback by the sight of the inuyoukai. Sesshomaru's eyes were red-edged as he stopped himself from giving in to his raging beast, and his lips were curled in a snarl. "Let her go, or I will rip your throat out." His voice was deep, bestial and barely human.

"We will hunt you down, you son of a bitch," Inuyasha growled, only his sword keeping him in control of his demon half.

"And we will find you and tear you to pieces!" Sango added, shaking with the urge to carry out her promise right at that moment.

Kagome couldn't stop herself crying at the sight of all of them, of Shippo standing desperate and protective in front of Rin, of Sango with Miroku, who was clutching his hand with his eyes full of aching guilt, of the youkai ready to fight for her.

"Ah, but there is another companion who you may wish to check up on. A certain wolf demon is in a bit of trouble to the west of here." Naraku replied. "If you want him to live, you shouldn't waste your time on someone who doesn't want to be saved."

"Go!" Kagome cried, shouting at them. "Go help Kouga! Just leave me and help him!" She met Sesshomaru's eyes, desperate and pleading. "Please ..."

Naraku took that moment to pull his miasma around them, disappearing into the darkness with his prize.

Inuyasha leapt at them, but he was too late. Kagome was gone.

"Fuck!" he swore viciously, slamming his sword against the earth. He spared an instant to stare at the ground where Kagome had stood, before he grabbed a stunned Miroku and took off to find Kouga.

Sesshomaru stayed where he was, wondering why there was such a feeling of loss in his heart that was feeding his anger. Just the thought of that disgusting creature touching her and the memory of his promise that he hadn't kept drove him to the edge of his control. He was furious that it had come to this.

_When I find you, you will regret the day you began this pathetic existance,_ he promised the evil hanyou, his red-tinged eyes glowing.

Jaken watched his lord, concerned by his unusual behaviour. It was unlike him to be so at the limits of his control – he'd built it up over centuries, and it was almost unknown for him to be so angry over something like this, especially not over a mere mortal. But it wasn't only the inuyoukai that was upset. The fox kit and Rin were crying softly, huddling close together.

"Stop your crying," the toad youkai told them. He didn't know how to handle tears. "It won't help anything!" They just cried harder.

"I will bring her back." Sesshomaru said, his voice quiet and firm. The children looked up at him with wide eyes and tear-streaked faces. They nodded stiffly, Shippo wiping his eyes furiously.

"Th-thank you, Lord Sesshomaru." Shippo replied softly. If anyone could rescue his adopted mother, it was the powerful youkai who had come to care about her as he had for Rin.

Sesshomaru glared down at his clenched fist. _It should not have come to this, Kagome. But I am going to find you and that creature. As foolish as your plan was, I shall make it come to pass. And destroy Naraku in the process._

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

A/N: Plan? Hmm, I wonder what plan that might be ... :) I hope this chapter was up to standard. Expect things to take a dark turn in the next few chapters – I've got two planned out and the third is lurking somewhere in my subconscious. Hope you don't think its going too quickly – I don't want anyone to get bored. This story has been demanding to be written lately! I think it must be all the nice reviews that inspired it ;) Thanks for the great comments! Work's been getting me down so they are greatly appreciated. Hope you all have a great week!

Cheers


	11. Ch11: Beautiful Things

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

**Chapter 11**

**Beautiful Things**

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

Naraku was obsessed with beautiful things. Kagura had seen it before, and heard most of the stories. The ones she hadn't heard, she could guess. Like his lust for Kikyou, his obsession had most likely been what had turned him into a criminal. She could imagine it – the first beautiful woman he lusted after who wasn't a whore, who he was so obsessed with that he took her by force. The first beautiful thing he couldn't buy, he stole. Anything to satisfy his lust, his obsession. It was the same with Kikyou, with the Sacred Jewel. Imagine, selling your soul for a beautiful thing? Becoming a perfect demon, a beautiful devil, just to possess something so susceptible to time. It was madness.

But then, Kagura had never thought Naraku to be sane.

And now, it was happening again. Naraku wanted the Sacred Jewel – as much because of its power as its beauty. He had also, of course, set his sights on its angelic keeper. It was inevitable, really, that he would get her. He even made a deal with her – and who could imagine Naraku ever keeping his side of a deal? Yet, he had complied with his new toy's demands. So far.

Kagome blinked slowly, careful not to move or it would make the room start spinning again. It was bad enough having to watch images flash by in a small mirror held up by the void girl Kanna. Her eyes were hurting and her head was aching, and some part of her was aware of a huge void in her heart. Taking both the pills had been a bad idea – her powers were back to their highest strength, but her mind was clouded with pink candy floss and broken glass that kept showing her reflections of how weak and pathetic she was.

"Stop," she whispered, seeing a spark in one of the images. Kanna held the picture that had caught her attention closer. "There – that serpent youkai has a shard. It's in its throat."

"Found one already?" Naraku said approvingly, coming up behind her. He smiled down at his toy miko, running his hand through her hair soothingly. "Take care of it Kagura." he ordered, not taking his eyes off the dazed girl as the wind witch left. He crouched down next to her, noting that even drugged up as she was she still leaned away from him. "Here's a little reward, Kagome." he murmured to her, holding out another pill.

"No." she shook her head weakly, turning away.

"Do you wish to go back on our deal?" he asked her, reaching for her chin and turning her head back towards him forcefully. "Do you want the monk to die because of you?" He caught the tears that spilled down her cheeks, bringing them to his lips to savour their bitter sweetness. Naraku's smile widened when she took the pill from him with a shaking hand, swallowing it quickly. He pressed his lips to her cheek gently, brushing his fingers against her skin. "That's a good girl," he almost purred as he studied her face. He noted with satisfaction the moment the pill took effect in the way her body slumped, relaxing into a dazed confusion.

Naraku took one of her hands, drawing it towards him. He watched her flinch when he drew a claw just hard enough over the skin to break it, before bringing her hand to his lips and removing the blood with a kiss. "You taste so sweet, little miko," he murmured, savouring the lingering taste of her blood. It was as enchanting as the rest of her – the spark of power, the underlying purity ... a hint of the drug he was dulling her mind with. _Delicious_. The hanyou finally let her go, ignoring her pained whimper when she held her hand close to her chest. Naraku stood slowly, reluctant to leave his prize but eager to use her to gain more of the glowing jewel.

He stared at her for a long time before he turned away. "Carry on." he ordered Kanna as he left.

Kagome continued to watch the mirror, almost unaware of the tears that she shed. In her heart, she held close the memory of lying next to and being comforted by silver hair and gold eyes. Of soft lips and a gentle touch.

She'd lost the name in the mists of her mind.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

"Ouch!" Sango winced, pulling away from Miroku with a glare. "Are you sure you're using the right thing?"

"I've seen Kagome use it all the time for cuts." the monk replied, trying to hide the slight hesitation over saying her name. He kept checking his palm, to see if the curse had really been removed or if it had been a dream. He kept the sacred beads over his hand, because he didn't trust Naraku not to just open the void again. It would be something he would do – he enjoyed seeing hope being ripped away. Just as he had ripped their hope away from all of them.

That was what Kagome was. She was the embodiment of all their dreams and aspirations. She had held all their hopes in her smile.

Sango touched his shoulder gently. "We'll get her back."

"I know." He went back to cleaning the deep cut in her side with the disinfectant from Kagome's bag. They'd reached Kouga just in time, rescuing him from Naraku's ambush, but Sango had taken a stray blow.

"I'm sorry, Sango." Kohaku said to his sister, unable to hide his guilt. "I feel like this is all my fault."

Sango pulled her brother against her uninjured side, hugging him close. "It's not your fault, Kohaku. The only one to blame is Naraku. He took your memories from you, making you into something you weren't." She smiled at him affectionately, remembering when he walked right up to her after the ambush was over, and her joy when she could see _him_ behind his eyes. "Even when you didn't remember, you didn't hurt anyone. It was only when he was controlling you that ..."

"That I hurt people," the boy finished in an almost-whisper.

"You're with me now," the slayer said firmly. "I'm going to protect you."

"Can any of you track Kagome?" Miroku asked the youkai.

"I can't smell anything." Inuyasha replied tightly, angry with his failure.

"I can't smell her either." Kouga said, with a quick glance at Inuyasha. "Her scent fades into nothing."

"How are we going to find her!" Shippo wailed anxiously.

There was a long silence as the group tensed, unable to accept the fact that they couldn't find Naraku and get Kagome back.

...

"I can track her."

"What?!" Inuyasha snapped, turning on his half-brother. "How the hell can you track her? Her scent is gone!"

Sesshomaru looked ahead evenly, not meeting their questioning eyes. "The miko spoke to me not long before the slayer brought her the cure. She had formulated a plan in case this occurred."

"You mean she was _expecting_ this?" Sango asked incredulously.

"She knew her craving would overcome her reason. She knew that _hanyou_ would come for her. So we ... took steps so that I would be able to find her." Sesshomaru replied, ignoring their accusing glares.

"What _kind_ of steps?" Kouga growled. He didn't like this evasive behaviour. It was way too suspicious, and stank of something Sesshomaru did not want to admit.

"It matters not. All that concerns you is that I know that they have gone north. It is time that we followed after them."

Inuyasha stepped in front of him, blocking his path. The hanyou's lips were pulled up in a silent snarl. "What did you do, Sesshomaru?"

"What Kagome asked of me. Do you want to find her dead, or do you wish to go and kill Naraku?" The youkai met his brother's eyes evenly, staring the younger inu down. Inuyasha eventually looked away. He spat at the ground, before whirling towards the north.

"Let's get her back and kill that mother-fucking bastard." Inuyasha growled, gathering up Kagome's bag. He hated that Sesshomaru was hiding something from them, especially when it was about Kagome, but if Sesshomaru could find her then he would let it lie. For now.

Sesshomaru lifted his chin, catching the scent that only he could detect. He despised the fact that it had come to this, that he had to track her at all and hadn't been able to prevent her leaving in the first place. But he was driven to find her, by his most basic instincts as well as by the fact that his rational self wanted to rescue her from that creature. That was, after all, a part of the nature of the tie they had forged together only a few days ago. He didn't think he would forget that moment for a very long time, or the moments it had lead to.

...o..o.o..o...

"_Where are you going?"_

_Kagome jumped, turning towards Sesshomaru. The youkai looked so intimidating, with his white clothes and silver hair making him stand out from the shadows. He was staring at her with his piercing gold eyes, making her feel like he was looking into her soul._

_She smiled, shrugging absently. "Nowhere. I just wanted a bit of quiet by myself."_

"_It's not safe."_

"_I know." Kagome stared down at her hands, and then surprised the youkai by beckoning him closer. "There's something I need to tell you. Its really important."_

_Sesshomaru moved nearer to her, noting her nervousness._

"_I'm not going to be able to resist this craving. Don't ... don't say anything about how I can, because that's not true. I'm not strong enough, Sango's not going to make it in time, and when Naraku comes for me you're going to have to let me go."_

"_No." he snapped, grabbing her arm and shaking her. He wanted her to snap out of this attitude that was so unlike her. It made him angry to see her acting so defeated. "I swore that I would not let him touch you. You will not make me go against my word."_

_Kagome laid her hand over his, looking up at him earnestly. "If you can track me, then you can lead everyone to Naraku's lair. If he makes me find the remaining shards, he will be after the ones we have. I won't let him kill any more innocent people. It's time to end this – all this pain, the nightmares, the hurt he's caused. It can't go on any longer." Her fingers tightened over his hand. "You can face him, and he won't have anywhere to run. If ... if you have some way to track me."_

_Sesshomaru stared at her intently. "You have an idea."_

_The miko avoided his eyes, nervous again. "Maybe. I don't know very much about it ... but you aren't going to like it."_

_There was a long moment of silence as he saw beneath her words. "You want me to mark you." the youkai stated, pulling away from her and turning away._

_Kagome looked pleadingly at his back. "If you know of any other way ... I just don't know how to avoid what's going to happen – what has to happen if we are going to stop all of this."_

"_Why did you not ask one of the others?" he asked softly, his tone unreadable._

_Kagome shrugged, smiling half-heartedly. "Inuyasha's a hanyou, so I thought it wouldn't work ... and Kouga would take it as acceptance to be his mate." Sesshomaru's back stiffened, but he was silent as Kagome continued hesitantly. "And ... and you've helped me so much. You were there for me when I had nightmares, and you carried me all that way when you had no reason to. You made me feel ... safe. I guess I ... I trust you to find me." She wiped her eyes, trying not to think about what could happen if she was in Naraku's clutches again. She was so afraid ... so afraid of it, of him. But if she knew Sesshomaru was coming to find her, then she could deal with the fear._

"_You have no idea what you are asking of me." Was his voice deeper? "Do you know what this will mean? What this will do?"_

_Kagome looked down. "No, but I understand if you don't want to tie yourself to me. I'm sorry – it was a stupid idea. I had no right to ask it of you." She turned away quickly, intent on heading back to camp and forgetting this ever happened._

_But Sesshomaru was standing in front of her. She blinked, not having seen him move. "This could be dangerous for you." he said softly._

_She lifted her chin, twisting her lips in an ironic smile that soon faded into a real one. "I trust you." she answered simply. And she did – she really did. Even when he moved closer, his stare different and more intense, she kept still._

_Then his arm was holding her, bending her body into his. His lips pressed against the curve of her neck, and she guessed rather shakily that he was taking in her scent. His youki rose up about him, a cloud of strong and dark energy. He was a youkai, a demon, and his human appearance was only a mask for what lay within. It was hypnotising, feeling his aura crashing against hers with increasing intensity. When he removed his arm for a moment, she almost fell over._

_His hand was pulling at the top edges of her shirt. Kagome stared up at him with wide eyes. _

"_Open." he said in an almost-growl. _

_Kagome undid the top few buttons of her shirt, unable to defy those red-gold slitted eyes. He brushed his claws against her skin, and she shivered as he caressed the smooth curves just over her heart._

"_This is usually where a mark is placed," he told her, his voice husky and strained as he touched the curve of her neck. "But it will be less noticeable here until it fades," Sesshomaru murmured softly, his eyes tracking the paths his fingers were tracing as they moved over her skin from her neck back to the smooth flesh above her heart. Kagome swayed unsteadily, because despite her shivers it was really heat he was stoking in her veins. Sesshomaru removed his hand long enough to pick her up, seating her on a thick low branch with her back pressing against the trunk. The miko leaned back against it gratefully, her lids falling half-closed with the strange feelings running through her. She rested her hands against his shoulders as he moved closer. Again he seemed unreal to her eyes – some fallen angel, some delicious demon that had found his way into her heart despite herself, and despite him. _

_But when he bent until his lips were brushing the skin just above her breast, with his eyes flashing up to burn her with their red-gold fire, she tightened her fingers uncertainly. His tongue swiped across her flesh, and her head lolled back on her suddenly boneless spine._

"_It will hurt." he warned her, his arm around her waist holding her steady. Kagome could barely summon the wit to nod. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, tensing at the unexpected rise of his beast. To mark her he had to allow it some rein, but the creature within was responding strongly to the female who had given her body over to him so freely, who had reacted so strongly to his touch. He bared his teeth in a silent snarl, knowing that his eyes were bleeding red. But the miko showed no sign of fear. She met his eyes, those of his beast, and welcomed all sides of him. Her powers rose up to brush against his, strong but careful. _

_The inu tightened his hold on himself, and sank his canines into her flesh._

_When his teeth pierced her skin she had to hold back a cry, throwing her head back at the pain and the rush of fire through her soul. It burned as his aura scalded the hint of itself into her essence, fighting with her powers and taking hold within like a wildfire. She thought the fire would never end, that it would destroy her despite her own powers that were trying to cool the flames. But it died to a smouldering ache when Sesshomaru drew back, when he languidly wiped the blood from her wound with his tongue. Then the fire was replaced with another kind. _

_Kagome's hand tangled in his hair as she fought for breath, releasing him reluctantly when he pulled away. The youkai noted the arousal in her eyes even as he dismissed his own. He brushed her cheek with his palm, giving her time to come back to herself. He had guessed that the marking would be painful for her, that her powers would fight him, but she had held herself together. She had been strong enough._

_The miko raised her hand to her chest, looking down to see a fading, silvery scar that had been a wound moments ago. "It's really done?" she asked quietly, cooling herself down with difficulty. Especially when he was still standing so close._

_Sesshomaru leaned in again long enough to draw in her scent deeply. The beast, forced into slumber yet again, stirred contentedly at the traces of his scent overlaying hers. It was still faint, because it had been an unconventional marking and not ... complete, but it should be enough for him to find her. It would have to be, because he would not complete it. This path was treacherous enough._

"_It is." he confirmed._

"_Thank you." she whispered. Because the nightmare called Naraku was coming for her, and now she knew that she, and her plan, would have a chance._

_They were quiet for a while, before Sesshomaru surprised her by holding out his hand. Kagome looked up at him with wide eyes, smiling a real smile at last as she took his hand and let him lead her back to camp._

...o..o.o..o...

And those other moments that had preceded and followed that instant. The moments when he was drawn to her, to her purity, her frailty and spirit. When he couldn't help but touch her, when he made excuses to himself so that he could hold her. She had needed him so much, her eyes so full of pain, and he had given of himself without thought. Even the regret, the anger he felt when he gave in to his desire to taste her lips, couldn't outweigh the deliciously forbidden experience of giving in to that need. The way she returned his fire with her own made him want her more. She had become a weakness, but not one he had any desire to remove any time soon.

_Why had he done it? Why had he done as she asked?_

She was beautiful. But she was more than that. She was flawed, naïve and trusting. She was full of fire and hope, of spirit and peace. She cared so strongly that it radiated from her eyes, a heat that drew in everyone around her. Without her, it was just so ... dark.

_How could he not?_

Sesshomaru could still taste her blood on his lips, he could still feel the spark of her powers burning against his. He could still smell her delicious scent, spiked with a hint of his. And so he would tell the others that he could track her, but he would never tell them how. That would be giving away too much, revealing too much. He had slipped a few times, allowing her to come too close and his control to loosen too much but ... He had come to care for the little miko, he admitted that to himself, but he'd be damned if he let anyone else know how much. He'd be damned in more ways than one.

_Damn you, Father._

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A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I was reluctant to bring in 'marking' as a plot device, but it fit so well ... so I hope you all will forgive that. I have so little time on my hands right now so things are moving slowly. Thanks for those reviews – I say it every time, but it never becomes less true: they mean a lot. Have an awesome week!


	12. Ch12: Broken

Disclaimer: Don't own it ...

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**Chapter 12**

**Broken**

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

"How are you feeling, my dear?"

She blinked slowly, and the world swam into focus. She was looking at a ceiling of mahogany boards, and lying surrounded by smooth crimson sheets. She waited for recognition to hit, for her mind to provide a simple summary of where she was, of when it was ... of who she was ... But nothing came. The only thing that became clear was that she wasn't alone.

A man was sitting at her side, smiling at her gently. He was striking, with his midnight hair and deep red eyes, and it worried her that she didn't recall him. "Who are you?" she whispered, aware suddenly that she felt so weak, so tired.

Some expression crossed his face too quickly to note, before it was followed by deep concern. "Kagome, my dear, you've been sick for a while now. The physician warned me that there might be some memory loss, but I didn't think you would forget your husband."

She (_Kagome_) frowned, confused. She stared at him more closely, and a name was slowly dredged from the depths of her mind. "N-Naraku?" she ventured, wondering at the spike of fear that accompanied his name. Did she imagine the flash of anger in his eyes?

Naraku smiled, reaching out to brush her hair from her forehead. "I knew you wouldn't forget, my Kagome." He helped her sit up, ignoring the way she involuntarily winced away from him.

His hand lingered on her arm, and she had to suppress the urge to pull away. _Why would I feel like that, if he was my husband?_ she wondered to herself, but the questions contended with the foggy confusion in her mind that blocked clear thought. Naraku was staring at her intensely, but in a strange way he wasn't really staring at _her_, not like she was a person ... more like some object he was weighing up. His lips spread in a slow smile as he took her hand in his. He brushed the top of her hand against his lips, and the intimate touch made her shudder uncertainly.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured, his breath hot on her skin. He pulled her closer with the hand he held, and slipped his other arm around her waist. Kagome's eyes widened as he drew closer, his hand moving now from her wrist to her neck. Naraku's half-lidded eyes burned into her soul, stopping her from resisting – freezing her like some small animal confronted by a predator. And then his lips were against her neck, drinking in her scent.

Kagome had barely started shifting away from him, tensing uncomfortably, before he pulled her head back with the hand buried in her hair and kissed her. His touch was so forceful, so _wrong_, that she jerked away from him before it could last too long. The momentary look in his eyes, the wild dark madness before the civilised mask fell back down, terrified her. Everything about this was wrong, was twisted. _He ... he isn't the one. He's not the one who can do these things to me. Not him ..._

"This doesn't feel right," she whispered, turning her head resolutely away from the man who had tried to force himself on her. Even though her memory was fragmented, she knew that there was someone who had the right to touch her like that, and it wasn't Naraku.

There was silence for a moment, while she knew he was looking at her. She refused to return his stare, almost scared of what she would see in his eyes. After a brief movement, Naraku held out a pill. "This is your medication, Kagome. Its helped you so much already."

She stared at the pill and unreasoning fear welled up like a tide, making her hyperventilate. Something was hovering on the edges of her mind, an evil dark memory that bared its teeth wickedly at her. A memory some part of her didn't want. The other part of her mind was screaming at her, but she couldn't understand what it was trying to say ...

"Take it, Kagome," he cajoled, smoothing his other hand over the sheets along her thigh.

She pulled herself away, revolted by his attempt at intimacy. "No, I don't want anything from you."

"Take it!" Naraku didn't try to hide the order this time, his crimson eyes flashing with anger as he grabbed her wrist and squeezed it painfully.

"No!" she shouted, jerking away. Memory hit her then, and her face contorted with disgust. "No! You can't make me forget, Naraku! _I won't forget who I am_!"

His face lost the caring façade, becoming that of the evil demon he was once again. The spider hanyou lunged towards her, knocking her down with his one hand around her throat. Kagome struggled wildly, hitting out at him. She was too highly strung out on whatever cocktail he'd given her to focus her powers, but she by damn was going to make him _hurt_.

"Don't you _fucking touch me_!" she raged, before choking when he shoved the pill down her throat. He forced her to swallow it, his hand tight over her mouth and holding her down with the weight of his body until she finally slumped, her struggles fading. The miko's eyes slowly became blank – vacant. Her consciousness retreated to some distant part of her mind, while her body succumbed to the poisons he gave her.

Naraku pulled back at last, rearranging her in the crimson covers. He lovingly admired the new bruises already decorating her slim neck, and managed to force down his anger at the way she'd pulled herself out of his spell once again. It merely meant trying again, with a slightly different combination of pills. She would give in eventually.

"And when you don't pull yourself out of my illusion in time, then you will be truly mine. Then you will be _broken_, Kagome." he whispered to her. He ran his fingers across her smooth skin, aching with anticipation. "Any other way won't be as much fun, don't you agree?" To take her innocence while she was aware, but without her memories, would break her more thoroughly when she remembered who she really was than if he took it by force. And Naraku wanted to _fragment_ her soul, so that he could reshape the pieces any way he wished ...

He smiled viciously as he stood, leaving the room. The illusion faded as he walked out of the door, revealing the stark grey stone and barred windows that were the reality. Only the blood-red sheets remained, pooled around Kagome like a premonition of the future.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

Sesshomaru snarled as he lashed out at the offending demon-bats with his acid whip. As more time passed, every delay made him more and more furious. He refused to even consider that the reason he was getting so uptight was because he was worried ...

Even Inuyasha and Kouga had stopped their bickering, and the whole group had become a grim band that took little time to eat or rest, dispatching any youkai that got in the way efficiently and quickly. They pushed on as hard as the mortals could manage, because they all knew that the longer they took, every hour, gave Naraku more opportunity to hurt Kagome. From how he had treated her before, they knew they had reason to be afraid for their friend. Mortally afraid.

Finally, Inuyasha couldn't take it any longer.

"That's it," he turned to face them as their latest skirmish followed by a brief rest ended. The hanyou turned to the slayer and the priest, his expression serious. "We can't afford to waste a fucking minute. We're going on ahead, and you'll have to make your own way."

Sango opened her mouth to protest, but then nodded slowly. "Fine," she replied softly. "We'll follow as fast as we can, and we'll keep the children safe." The slayer swallowed hard, looking from Kouga and Inuyasha to Sesshomaru. It was the last youkai that she watched the longest. "Please save her."

"Keh!" Inuyasha huffed, turning away from her. He didn't want to see Sango, who was so strong, with tears in her eyes. "We'll get her back."

"Be careful," Miroku called after them, but the youkai and hanyou were already away. The monk sighed, leaning on his staff. He laid a hand on Sango's shoulder, offering silent comfort.

Kohaku took her hand hesitantly, and the slayer offered them both a smile. She turned to Shippo, Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un, feeling new hope. "Let's get going!"

Sesshomaru, meanwhile, felt something akin to relief at the opportunity to increase his pace. Moving as fast as they now were, it wouldn't take them as long to reach their goal.

_Kagome_ ...

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

Kagura leaned against a wall, flipping her fan reflexively from hand to hand and snapping it open and closed repetitively. In the room, Kagome was being forced once again to watch Kanna's mirror. Even from a few metres away, watching the rapidly cycling images made the wind witch feel unsteady – Kagome, on the other hand, was literally swaying where she sat. The miko seemed barely functioning, and she looked terrible. Kagura knew what Naraku was capable of, and it appeared that the girl was learning too.

The witch sighed, flicking her fan open to hide the depressing sight of the once-radiant priestess. Naraku's villainy disgusted her. Everything about him did. It wasn't that she felt _sorry_ for the girl ... but she knew what it was like having him pay too close 'attention'. When the demon fixated on something, then it was almost impossible to divert his interest. The bruises, the dead eyes, the washed-out skin ... Kagome was barely recognisable.

She didn't feel _sorry_ for Kagome as such ... but ... Kagura remembered the time when Naraku had been so angry about her failure, about her attempt to run away from him, that he'd chained her up in the dungeons. But that hadn't been enough punishment. He ... _visited_ her there ... Kagura flinched at the memory of his viciously sadistic eyes, boring into hers while she cried and screamed for him to _stop_ ...

The wind witch shuddered as she stared at the poor prisoner with a hint of sympathy in her eyes.

At that moment, a lesser servant came up to her, whispering in her ear. Kagura's eyes widened, and she turned away from the sad spectacle of the miko intending on finding her master.

Naraku, however, was right behind her.

The spider hanyou had been watching his latest acquisition, enjoying her pain and the discomfort of his servants. He gave the witch a slight smile. "What is it, Kagura?"

Kagura glanced back towards the priestess, before replying softly. "The hanyou, wolf and dog lord have been seen heading towards the mansion, master."

"_What?_" Naraku hissed, absolutely livid.

The witch had to force herself not to flinch back. "I ... I haven't seen them myself, but they've been sighted nearby."

"Then go _check_ and I trust you will ensure that they _don't arrive_," he snarled, his tone promising severe punishment if she didn't comply.

Kagura nodded once before ducking away, her chest tight with the anticipated pain that was awaiting her, because there was no way she could hold off the three approaching fighters. _Inuyasha and Kouga, maybe, but not Sesshomaru ..._ She turned sharply down one of the endless corridors, intending on picking up some of Naraku's servants to help, but paused suddenly.

_What would happen, if they arrived here?_ She wondered, weighing up the opportunities in her mind. _If they defeat Naraku, then maybe its my chance to get free of him – to get my heart back ... But if they fail, and Naraku finds out that I helped them ..._ The witch smiled grimly, knowing that she was about to make a gamble that would literally put her life on the line.

_When hasn't my life been on the fucking line?_

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

The two youkai and the hanyou charged through the farms and outskirts of villages. If they'd stopped to ask, they would have discovered that people had been going missing with increasing frequency, starting a few weeks earlier. They would have had their clue to Naraku's proximity, but they didn't need it.

Sesshomaru knew exactly where he was.

The Lord of the Western Lands knew they were closing in, and his growing haste meant that the others could feel it too. So they ignored the open-mouthed humans they flashed past, and moved as fast as they were able. Though he was feeling the strain of their pace, even Inuyasha hadn't voiced a curse or complaint. The normally brash hanyou was afraid – afraid of what they'd find when they reached their goal.

Kouga barely glanced at his travelling companions, his mind set on their destination as well. His sister was in danger, in the hands of the creature who had been responsible for the deaths of so many of his clan – who was the source of such evil. If the hanyou didn't drop dead from the pace, then there was no chance he would show any weariness.

Sesshomaru ... well. Only someone who knew him well would be able to read the tension in his face. The youkai gripped his sword reflexively, picturing with grim satisfaction the instant he would part Naraku's skull from his body – the sound, the smell, the sight of his sword ripping through him and spreading his filthy blood across the grass. It was a moment he was anticipating – an image that distracted him from the person he was _really_ thinking about ...

And so the trio weren't particularly charmed to see Kagura standing in their path. If it weren't for the fact that she wasn't holding a weapon and her fan was folded in front of her on the grass then they probably would have gone straight through her.

"Get the fuck out of our way, witch!" Kouga snapped, his hair bristling.

Inuyasha frowned at her, confused. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Listen to me!" Kagura spoke urgently, glancing behind her surreptitiously. "I don't have much time-"

"Why should we let you talk now?" Kouga growled, tightening his fist. "I'd be happier to discuss things when you're six feet under!" He stepped forward, but Sesshomaru stopped him with a glance.

"Speak." the inuyoukai said shortly, his voice tight and rough.

"I want to help you," the wind witch replied. She spoke more urgently when she saw their disbelief. "I swear it! I want Naraku dead just as much as you do! I've had enough of living with his fist around my heart. Just ... just knock me out so I have an excuse if you don't kill him now, and I'll stay out of your way. If he escapes, I'll help you if I can."

Sesshomaru stepped closer to her, and Kagura stood steady. If she could stand still when Naraku advanced on her in a rage, then she could now. The witch met his stare, lifting her chin.

"Kagome?" he asked quietly.

Kagura hesitated, remembering the state of the miko she'd left behind not long ago. "Hurry." she whispered. She studied his eyes, and was stunned to see some expression there – some expression she'd never expected to see in him.

Sesshomaru lashed out almost too quickly to see, and Kagura fell unconscious to the ground. The youkai lashed out with his acid whip swiftly, making grooves in the dirt and slashing trees to make it seem like there had been some sort of a fight.

And then they were off again, towards Naraku. Towards Kagome.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

Naraku was still fuming.

"How did they follow you?" he snapped at Kagome, pacing angrily in front of the girl's blank eyes. "I know this is your doing!" Naraku grabbed the back of her hair, tilting her head back to look up at his. The miko didn't protest, and was only barely able to sit up by herself. She just blinked when he shook her, her wide eyes looking past him as if he weren't even there. He'd raised his hand to hit her when Kanna interrupted with a small hand on his arm.

"_What is it_?"

The void girl whispered to him softly, and slowly his expression changed. Naraku let Kagome go, letting her sprawl on the floor. The demon started laughing, his anger dissipating with the good news his servant had passed on. With a broad smirk, Naraku crouched down beside his prisoner. He brushed away the hair covering her face, noting the slow sanity returning to her eyes.

He leaned close, keeping a hand against her cheek. "Kanna tells me that you've done well, my Kagome. She tells me that you've found the last missing jewel shard ... other than the ones that wolf and Sango's walking-dead brother possess, and of course the ones I have. Do you know what you've done?" he started laughing again, enjoying the spark of horror in her eyes. "You've given me everything! Everything I wanted ... except for one, of course." Naraku smirked, his hand brushing her arm suggestively. Kagome shuddered, but she was too weak to pull away. He leaned in closer, voice dropping to a confidential whisper, "_And when I have the whole jewel, and your friends are all dead, there'll be nothing standing in the way – will there?_"

The miko whimpered, closing her eyes to ward off the nightmares that his words invoked. She could hear him standing, could feel his eyes raking over her. He made her feel weak, naked and helpless. He made her feel more afraid than she could ever have imagined feeling. This feudal era wasn't an adventure any more – not for her.

"I wouldn't want them following me again, so I'll see you soon, my Kagome," Naraku said in a mock soothing tone. "Give your rescuers my regards, won't you? Tell Inuyasha ... No. Tell Sesshomaru that I look forward to our next meeting." He drank in the sight of her, sprawled on the stone, for a long moment. "Make sure you say your goodbyes – if you get a chance to speak to them before you kill them."

And with that, he was gone.

Kagome lay on the cold stone, silent tears running down her cheeks. Her powers pulsed beneath her skin, growing painfully as they slowly slipped out of control without the drugs. She curled up into herself, almost oblivious to the increasing sounds of activity around the mansion. The faint explosions in the distance, getting closer, didn't inspire her to get up and try to escape. Maybe Naraku hadn't broken her entirely, but he'd taken something away from her – something she would never be able to get back. He'd fractured her spirit, her hope, and pressed his blade against her heart. She could feel it there, hurting every time she moved or thought or spoke. It lay in wait for the moment he would take everything away from her, for the moment he fulfilled his promise. And then the blade would slide into her heart, and she would be what he'd always wanted her to be.

Broken.

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The loud explosion echoed across the surrounding countryside, accompanying the red sparks that showed where the barrier surrounding Naraku's hideout had shattered. Inuyasha was breathing hard, holding his blood-red sword out in front of him as he glared at the place the barrier had stood. _As if shit like that could stop me,_ he scoffed to himself. He didn't voice his boast, though he would usually take full credit for such a show of strength especially in front of Kouga and Sesshomaru. It didn't seem right, when they hadn't found Kagome yet. _Kagome ... are you ...?_

He didn't even have time to finish the thought, because he was suddenly alone. "Shit!" he raced after the two youkai, through the fractured barrier and towards the mansion that lay like a dark stain on the hills. Naraku's miasma wasn't as strong as he'd expected, but then it was poisonous to humans, and Inuyasha had to assume that the bastard wanted Kagome alive.

The hanyou felt an odd ache in his chest as he rushed forward towards the dark mansion where Kagome was being held. It was like racing into a storm with the ominous thunderclouds above, feeling the rumble of thunder in your breast and the rush of adrenalin when you sense the lightning building up for a strike.

Inuyasha pushing himself harder, determined not to fall behind his brother. The feeling was building inside – growing heavier and darker.

_Dammit, Kagome!_ Inuyasha growled, his anger barely hiding his fear,_ You better be waiting for us!_

Even his thoughts couldn't voice his true worries:

_You better damn well be alive!_

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

A/N: Sorry for the delay yet again. I had to go home for two weeks – family emergency, but thankfully its improved and I'm back at varsity ... with all the catching up that comes with two weeks absence. Sigh. Oh well, hope you enjoyed reading and stay tuned for future drama! Have an awesome week all :)


	13. Ch13: Fear

Disclaimer: Don't own it ...

Note: The part in _italics_ within the '...o..o.o..o...' breaks is a flashback to a dream from Chapter 8.

A/N: I'm writing this up here because the end of this chapter doesn't seem right with me waffling on after it. I just want to thank you again if you're still with me at this stage, and especially for those wonderful reviews. There's nothing better, as an author, than knowing that someone else has enjoyed the story you've weaved together from a very vivid imagination. The end is in sight but not too soon, I promise :) Hope you all have an amazing week, and hold thumbs for me on Wednesday when I'm writing my exam!

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**Chapter 13**

**Fear**

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Sesshomaru tuned out the presence of his brother and the wolf. He even ignored the variety of Naraku's offshoots and monstrosities that got in their way, except to rip them apart without a thought. He moved swiftly ahead of the other two, leaving them to deal with the rabble. He only had one destination in mind, and her presence, her proximity, created a palpable heat against his skin. Sesshomaru's eyes widened fractionally as he realised that he wasn't imagining it – he really could feel heat, and it was the heat of Kagome's purification powers.

The inuyoukai didn't bother with finding doors – he melted the walls of the building, and anything else that got in his way, until he found her.

Sesshomaru was stopped dead at the wash of burning power that flowed over him, radiating from the shaking body in the middle of the room. _Kagome ..._ He pushed forward against the press of her powers, taking no notice of the pain as they threatened to purify him. His eyes were locked on to her, and he wasn't going to be distracted. And finally he was kneeling next to her, reaching out a hand to touch her skin – but he couldn't. He couldn't touch her. His skin started to blister when he got too close – the intensity of her powers too much for even him to ignore.

"Kagome,"

The miko grimaced, hearing a voice in her head that she didn't believe was real. She winced at the pain that was burning inside – it hurt too much to move, to think. She could only _be_ ...

"_Kagome_,"

But the voice was insistent, persistent. Slowly she opened her eyes, squinting at the bright pink light that touched everything. And there, she saw the one who'd haunted her dreams. The one she'd picture when everything was dark, and she was so afraid. The one who Naraku had tried to make her forget. His deep gold eyes and silver hair were bathed in that same pink light, but she could never forget him.

"Sesshomaru," she whispered, tears welling at the corners of her eyes as her memories returned, bringing with them the full horror of her capture. It was then that she realised the pink light was from her miko powers, and that she was hurting him. Kagome cringed away from him, pulling in on herself. "Get out of here! I can't ... I can't control this!" The ripples of power were growing inside, stretching her skin and threatening to tear her apart when she tried to hold them in. It was her nightmare coming to life ...

...o..o.o..o...

_Her chest was getting tight, her power was growing inside her skin, saturating her body as it spread across her flesh. "Sesshomaru! Run away! GO!"_

_But she couldn't stop it, and he wouldn't leave. It played out just as before, but this time ... this time Sesshomaru was holding her when he turned into ashes in her hands._

...o..o.o..o...

Kagome clutched her hands over her chest, shutting her eyes to try and hold everything inside until Sesshomaru could get away. "_Run, damn you!_" she shouted at him desperately, fear tightening its grip on her heart until she could barely breathe.

And then ...

And then she felt him.

Sesshomaru slid his arm around her, enfolding her in cool silk and a strong hold. He rested his cheek against hers, his breath warm against her skin.

The world seemed to freeze then, and Kagome sat rigid while her powers slowly died down, slipping back to that place inside with a soft sigh. She slumped against him as the tension left her body, a tear sliding down her cheek as her eyes closed. When she shuddered, he tightened his arm around her fractionally.

"I felt ..." the youkai paused, his cheek still pressed against hers so that she couldn't see his expression. Sesshomaru breathed deeply, drawing in the scent of her so that he could finish saying the words he never thought he'd voice. "I felt ... afraid ... for you." he said softly.

That was too much for the already emotional girl. Kagome threw her arms around his neck, sobbing with her overwhelming relief and horror and pain. "I knew ... I knew you would come for me ..." she whispered. "I knew it. He couldn't make me forget you."

"Where is he?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice dark and deep.

Kagome shivered, shaking her head. "He's gone." she replied. "After the last missing shard ... and then he'll come back for the others." She pulled away from him, meeting his eyes. "_I_ helped him find them, Sesshomaru! _I_ helped him! If I hadn't made up this stupid plan-"

The youkai pressed his finger to her lips. "Then the monk might be dead, and the slayer wouldn't have her brother. You did what it is in your heart to do, and if I hadn't been able to follow you, then ..." He paused, not wanting to finish those words when evidence of Naraku's treatment of her was so obvious in the dark bruises on her skin, and the fear in her eyes. "I will look forward to the time he decides to try himself against me. I _anticipate_ it."

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to think about the upcoming fight. It would be more like a war, with Naraku made insanely powerful by the almost-complete jewel. She leaned in again, hiding her face in his shoulder. "Please, I want to leave this place," she asked, her voice muffled against his clothes.

"You will have to hold on," Sesshomaru replied, slipping his arm around her. "I may have to deal with a few vermin on the way out."

The miko's arms tightened around his neck as he stood, and the youkai didn't move until she had her legs around his waist. It was an even more intimate position than they'd been in before, requiring a bit of shifting of his armour, but then they'd come a long way from that time when he'd been escorting her home.

Kagome tried to block out the memories that were battering at her conciousness – memories of how Naraku had tried to manipulate her, how he'd tried to ... She focussed on the warmth radiating from the youkai she held. Somehow ... somehow youkai were warmer than humans – their heartbeat seemed to be faster as well. Their human forms were just masks, after all. She could feel the power beneath Sesshomaru's skin – always fighting to be free from its confinement. Perhaps that was why only the more powerful youkai could take a human-looking form.

In her heart, she could feel a huge emotion building with Sesshomaru as its source. It felt so good to be held by him – she didn't ever want the moment to end. Kagome barely noticed the shifts in his steps that signified a fight, hearing only the cracks and hissing of his acid whip. She held her breath when they went through the worst of the miasma, relaxing slowly when she felt fresh air against her skin.

Sesshomaru stopped at last, safely away from the mansion. He could sense that her friends weren't far – Inuyasha and Kouga were mopping up Naraku's servants and the slayer and monk were nearing steadily. They had a short while before the others caught up to them. He let Kagome down carefully, steadying her when she swayed on her feet.

The miko looked up at him, burning his features into her mind. She took his hand, tugging to make him lean down while she stretched up on her toes, intending on pressing a impulsive kiss to his cheek. But the youkai anticipated her moves, turning his head to meet her lips with his. Kagome felt herself melt against him, giving in eagerly. He ran his hand over her bruises gently, conveying his concern wordlessly by the way he traced his claws so softly over her skin.

His kiss was so full of emotion – emotion that his face hid so well. There, in the catch of his breath, was his intoxication for her. In the slight hesitation of the path of his hand was his reluctance to push her too far, and in the burn of his powers at the borders of his form was his desire.

When he finally pulled away, Kagome was breathless and flushed. Sesshomaru looked down at her, his eyes half-closed in a completely male expression of satisfaction at her reaction.

The miko frowned when she noticed. "You _like_ doing that to me, don't you?" she accused, only slightly irritated by his smug appraisal.

The youkai seemed to consider her question carefully. "I find it agreeable." he replied with a teasing half-smile.

Kagome scowled, turning away. But Sesshomaru was having none of her sulking. In a smooth motion, he'd whirled her around and pulled her into another, more heated kiss. He curved her body into his, taking the control that she gave him. When she was once again breathless and even more flushed, he moved his head to whisper in her ear.

"But Kagome," he breathed huskily, "You _like_ what I do to you,"

Her eyes closed involuntarily at the hot shudder his words and tone sent through her. Sesshomaru wanted to take advantage of that blatant invitation, but her friends were closing in and it wouldn't do for them to know how their relationship had changed. He would have to admit it to himself first.

"Your companions are almost here," he said, drawing away from her. He expected her to let him go, he expected that she wouldn't want questions about them from her friends any more than he did. So he was surprised when her fingers dug into the folds of his clothes. But when he saw the pleading expression in her eyes, he couldn't deny her.

"Please ... please don't leave me alone," she said softly. When he started to move away, Kagome had felt a spike of terror. While he was there, touching her, she could hold off the nightmare that had been the last few days. She could stay strong for her friends, so that they wouldn't blame themselves – especially Miroku. She could pretend that Naraku hadn't done anything to her. Sesshomaru knew better, but somehow she could show her real weakness to him. In trying to corner Naraku by letting him capture her, she'd made a sacrifice – and it hadn't gained them anything other than Miroku's whole palm and, temporarily, Sango's brother. But she wouldn't let the others know about that sacrifice. She'd let them think it had been the pills, or his deviousness. She wouldn't let them know that she'd done it to help them, or to end their quest earlier. She'd let them think that it was her weakness. It was better that way.

Inuyasha appeared first, of course. He would be the hardest one to fool. Despite his usual denseness when it came to emotion, he was the one she found it the hardest to hide from. Her hand tightened around Sesshomaru's before reluctantly letting that safe hold go. She stepped forward towards where her best friend was standing rigid a few metres away.

Inuyasha was staring at her like some part of him had been sure that he would never see her again. Kagome lifted her hand towards him, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Inuyasha...?"

And then the hanyou was hugging her almost tighter than she could handle. He held her so tight that Sesshomaru had to step forward and put a restraining hand on his shoulder. Inuyasha was about to shout at him, but Kagome's wheezing stopped him. He touched her arm hesitantly.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" he asked, relieved just to hear the sound of her breathing. He noticed the bruises on her skin, and it created such a rage in him – a rage that was calmed when Kagome smiled at him.

"I'm fine, Inuyasha," The girl smiled ... but he didn't like that smile. It wasn't the same. In fact, _she_ wasn't the same. Something about her had changed.

"What's wrong?" he probed, frowning at her. "What happened to you, Kagome?"

Kagome froze, caught by his perceptive questions and concerned expression. He wanted to know what had hurt her so he could go and make it right – so he could go destroy it. But it wasn't that simple this time. Naraku had snapped something inside of her, something that being with Sesshomaru seemed to hide, but he had taken something away from her that she couldn't get back. He had tried to take more, and still wanted to, but he had taken enough for her to have changed.

Sesshomaru laid his hand on her shoulder, and that was enough for her to fall back into the body that her mind wasn't so sure it wanted to inhabit any more. Naraku had made her feel dirty and violated, but being with Sesshomaru reminded her that she was a _miko_, and it would take more than a filthy creature like Naraku to take away her purity.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at their interaction, but he wasn't going to be deterred from his question. "What happened, Kagome?"

"Naraku drugged me, Inuyasha," she answered softly. She caught his arm when his fist tightened with rage. "He made me find more shards for him and-" she tugged on his hand, making him focus on her words rather than on his hatred for Naraku, "and he's gone to find the last missing shard. Then he'll be after the ones Kouga and Kohaku have!"

"Good!" Kouga interjected, having arrived in time to hear Naraku's plan. "I'm sick of hunting that bastard."

"Yeah," Inuyasha growled, "Let the fucker come! I'm looking _forward_ to handing him his head on the tip of my sword!"

"I think we're all looking forward to that," Sango added, arriving with the rest of their group.

Kagome's heart ached at the sight of all of them. Seeing all the people she cared about most together made her realise how far apart she'd drifted from them. But that didn't mean that she loved them any less.

"KAGOME!!" an orange fireball blurred across the clearing, heading straight for the miko. It was intercepted by Inuyasha, who held the little fox kit by his tail and scowled at him. "Lemmego-lemmego-lemmego!" Shippo struggled viciously, trying to bite the hanyou's hand.

"Be careful, you stupid puffball!" Inuyasha snapped, "You can't just ram into her – Kagome's hurt!"

Shippo froze, tears springing to his cheeks instantly. "Kagome?" he turned his large eyes on his adopted mother. "Are you ... are you going to _die_?!"

The hanyou raised his other hand to brain the kit, but Kagome took Shippo from him. She cuddled him, stroking his fur soothingly. "I'm not going to die, Shippo. I'm just a bit bruised and tired, that's all."

"Are you alright, Kagome?" Sango asked, concerned as she came closer. Following shyly behind her was her little brother, Kohaku.

"I'll be fine, Sango, don't worry," Kagome reassured her. The miko looked past her to Miroku, who was standing back looking ashamed. "Miroku, please, don't feel that any of this is your fault. It was mine."

"But Kagome, if you hadn't-" the monk began, but Kagome shook her head.

"I'm just glad something good came out of my mistake." she said seriously. It was true – though they hadn't caught Naraku, at least Miroku was out of danger. It didn't make much sense for Naraku to give Miroku back what had been his greatest weapon, even if it did endanger his life.

Strangely enough, Kouga didn't try his usual 'my woman' thing with her. The wolf was very polite, and concerned for someone he considered a member of his pack, but that was it. She noticed that he and Sesshomaru were giving each other odd glares, but they didn't fight. Even Inuyasha seemed a bit thrown by it.

Kagome felt almost embarrassed by everyone's concern. They all wanted to know if she wanted anything, and if she was alright.

"Just some food, a bath, and lots of sleep," she replied to the barrage of questions. In no time, Rin had brought her flowers, Sango had brought her food, and Inuyasha had found them a place to camp that was near a spring. Sango and Rin tagged along for the bath, which Kagome longed for desperately. A part of her felt a slight panic at leaving Sesshomaru behind. She'd latched on to him as an anchor for her sanity, as strange as it was, and her hold on herself was slippery.

Sango didn't press her for questions, thank goodness, but rather talked about Kohaku and, with pointed teasing glances at Rin, about how Kohaku and Shippo fought for the little girl's attention. Rin, of course, went bright red at the teasing which made the older girls laugh. It was a relief to be able to laugh again, even if her whole heart wasn't in it.

Kagome managed to dodge more questions when they got back by pleading exhaustion. She could hear the others talking about possible plans and strategies (which, in Inuyasha and Kouga's case, consisted of 'Rip the fucker to shreds!!'), but she shut them out. But there was no way real sleep would come to her, as much as she wanted it.

There were too many bad memories in her subconscious, lying in wait.

So she mulled over all the questions she had – especially for Sesshomaru. How had he been able to stop her from losing control? How had he even been able to touch her? And why did she feel like she _needed_ him so much to keep hold of her sanity? And finally: why the hell couldn't she stop _kissing_ him?! _It's only going to end badly,_ she argued with herself. _It can't mean anything, or go anywhere. I ... I don't belong here. This isn't my home. _

_But ..._

She thought about the way he made her feel. When he kissed her, it was as if they were the only people breathing. He made her feel_ alive_.

Kagome's train of thought was stopped by a wave of dizziness. She glanced around, making sure the others were preoccupied, before stumbling to the edge of their clearing. Once she was out of sight, she coughed violently into her hand – so hard that she thought she was going to be sick. The miko glanced down at her palm when the fit passed, confirming that she hadn't just imagined the coppery taste in her mouth. The specks of deep red blood covered her hand and she lowered it to wipe away the evidence on the grass, but her wrist was caught by another hand.

She studied the stripes on his wrist as he turned her hand to look at the blood on her palm. Kagome tried to summon a smile when she met his eyes, but the stern expression there made it die away.

"What is wrong with you?" Sesshomaru asked her quietly, crouching at her side. He was still holding her hand.

"I'm not sure." she shrugged. "I think it started when I was with Naraku. The drugs, most likely. I can't even guess at how many different combinations he gave me." She paused for a long moment, but something about the hold he had on her hand made her carry on. "It's been getting worse, Sesshomaru."

The youkai pulled her against him when he noticed her shiver at the cold. Kagome leaned into him gratefully, feeling her breathing slowly ease.

"How did you stop me from purifying you?" she asked, pulling back a little to look up at him. "I was so out of it that I had no idea of what I was doing. How did you bring me back?" She pressed him when it didn't seem like he was going to answer. "Please, Sesshomaru. Please tell me."

Sesshomaru reached out with his hand, tracing the line of her jaw before lowering his hand to lay it over her heart. Right where he had marked her. Just like at that moment, his eyes seemed to burn right through her.

"What we did – it was no trivial thing." he spoke at last. "Inuyoukai do not mark another except for their intended life-mate. Thus you are tied to me, as I am to you. Until you or I indicate otherwise, that bond will remain. Your miko power would not hurt you, and until the mark is dissolved, that is what I am. A part of you."

"I didn't realise ..." Kagome said softly. She touched her hand to his cheek, wondering again at the madness that had made her ask him to do such a thing. And the madness that had made him accept. "So that is why I feel it when you aren't there ... it's like a part of me is missing." She paused when a sudden thought occurred to her. "Why haven't you dissolved it?" the miko asked. "Why didn't you break the bond when you found me? You'd kept your promise to save me."

Sesshomaru bent his head, hiding his expression in shadow. Kagome's breath caught, her heart rate increasing as her heart realised something before her mind accepted it.

"I did not wish to break it, Kagome." he replied.

Her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of what he was saying. She couldn't read the tone in his voice. "What do you mean?"

In a flurry of motion, Sesshomaru had pulled her towards him and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. He was drinking her in, showing her a little of the desire he controlled so tightly – a little of the mad heat of the beast inside, that wanted her so. He pulled back enough to breathe his reply in her ear. The deep rumbling in his voice made her aware of how close the edge of his control was.

"Silly girl. Can't you see what you do to me?"

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	14. Ch14: Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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**Chapter 14**

**Plans**

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A shrill scream tore the air in two – a scream that was far from human. All the mortals near enough to hear the cries and feel the trembling of the earth sank lower in their hiding places, praying to their god that whatever nightmare stalked the dark would pass them by. But while the nightmare may pass by them that night, they wouldn't escape for long. Not if he wasn't stopped.

Naraku drew out the limb that was buried deep in the gut of the other youkai. His red eyes gleamed with satisfaction at the sound of his opponent's dying moans, and he spared the mutilated body a tight smirk as he stepped away. Usually he sent a minion to deal with nuisances like this, but ... this time, he wanted to do it himself.

The hanyou glanced down at his hand, uncurling his fingers to reveal the ebony jewel shard lying on his palm. Almost reverently, he pulled out the rest of the jewel and pressed the two together. And there, lying in his hand, was the whole Sacred Jewel ... minus three shards, of course. A pain, but hardly a problem. It wasn't as if he didn't know where the remaining three were.

_The wolf, and the boy. A pity I didn't think to remove the wolf's shards during the ambush ... but no matter. They will be as eager to find me as I am to find them. The only decision now is how to proceed ..._

Naraku walked away from the corpse, oblivious to the blood staining the ground he walked over. It hadn't been much of a fight – he had the power of the majority of the jewel to draw on, after all. The other youkai hadn't been much more than an animal with the madness the jewel had caused.

_Separating them is an option ... or I could use the boy ... or the miko ... Hmm. So many choices ..._

Kagura ducked her head as her master walked past, flinching almost unconsciously. She still felt a phantom pain from where the bruises had healed. Naraku hadn't been happy that Sesshomaru, Inuyasha and Kouga had gotten past her so easily on their way to rescue the miko. She'd gotten off relatively lightly – the hanyou had been too preoccupied with getting the jewel shard. But that look in his eyes now ... he was planning something horrific. She had no doubts that he had some elaborate, vicious scheme in mind to retrieve the remaining jewel shards.

The wind witch clenched her jaw, tightening her hands into fists. _He can't be allowed to get those shards. If he completes the jewel ... I'll never be free. But how can I do anything? _She could see the power radiating from him, having only increased with the addition of another shard. The jewel was almost whole, and so powerful ...

_Can the miko's group possibly stop him now?_

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_In a flurry of motion, Sesshomaru had pulled her towards him and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. He was drinking her in, showing her a little of the desire he controlled so tightly – a little of the mad heat of the beast inside, that wanted her so. He pulled back enough to breathe his reply in her ear. The deep rumbling in his voice made her aware of how close the edge of his control was._

"_Silly girl. Can't you see what you do to me?" _

Kagome's breath caught in her throat at his words. She could never have predicted something like this happening, let alone with Sesshomaru. There was a side of him that she was discovering, and it was breathtaking. It was uncontrollable, unpredictable, and completely spellbinding.

She reached out her hand, running it along his cheek and trying again to take in the feeling of having him stare at her just like that. There was so much feeling swimming below the surface between them, so much unsaid and unexpected. Neither of them had asked for this. Neither of them had expected this. But there was no changing it, no turning back.

Kagome hesitated a moment, biting her lip, before she leaned forward slowly. She paused, her lips a breath from his, meeting his eyes almost fearfully. There was such an untouchable quality to him – something so aloof and proud. When he kissed her, it seemed like there was a momentary chink in that perception. But ... Some part of her couldn't imagine why he would want her. She was human, and this ... this was everything that he despised. He'd hated his father for what they were about to do. How was this any different? Would he hate her for this?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand laid over hers. She looked up, and Sesshomaru's eyes seemed to warm to a deeper shade of gold as he slid his hand up her arm, burying his claws in her hair. There, in his eyes, was the answer. The acceptance.

So she closed the distance between them, letting herself accept that it was his comfort she needed – his touch. He was the one she wanted. And she ... it seemed like she was the one he wanted as well.

"What about what you do to me?" she asked, her question a soft gasp as he brushed his lips over her skin.

She could feel it when his mouth curved in a smile. Her hands tightened around his neck when he lavished his attention on the curves above her heart. He leaned over her, forcing her slowly back until she was lying on the fur of his pelt. She looked up at him, eyes glazed with the feelings running through her that lined her skin with fire. And there, on his lips, was the smile she'd felt.

"What I have done to you?" he asked with a lazy smirk. Sesshomaru leaned closer, until there was only a breath separating them. She was mesmerised by the red bleeding into his eyes, held so tightly in check. But even more than that, she was fixated on the heat radiating from his skin. The expression in his eyes made her shudder in anticipation.

"Kagome ... I haven't even begun what I plan to do to you."

...

"Is that a promise?" she asked with a cheeky grin. And there, that spark in her eyes, was a glimpse of the girl he'd become so captivated with.

He smirked rather self-assuredly back at her. "What a strange mortal you are."

"You have no idea," the miko replied.

Her witty banter was put to a rather sudden halt when his hand ghosted over the bare skin where her shirt had ridden up on her stomach. She pulled him down into a demanding kiss, made all the more delicious by the rumble of amusement she felt from him. Her fingers slipped inside the edges of the material around his neck, teasingly scraping her nails along his skin. The youkai obviously approved, because he'd ripped off the bottom two buttons of her shirt before she could stop him with an exasperated sigh and unbutton the rest herself. The appearance of more bare skin demanded further exploration, and Sesshomaru followed the path of his hand with his lips, drawing the most interesting and pleasing sounds from his little miko.

Kagome arched her body upwards into his touch, her eyes closing with the wave of divine feelings washing through her. She reached out, bringing his hand to her lips. With half-lidded eyes, she watched him while she pressed a kiss to each finger, and then the palm and inside of the wrist, before going back and repeating the movements but replacing her soft lips with gentle nips. That action drew his mouth back up to hers, and she used his distraction to loosen his clothes further so that she could run her hands over the smooth skin of his rather deliciously defined chest.

It looked like things were going to progress further and, caught up in the moment, Kagome couldn't have said that she would have done anything to stop it. Sesshomaru, however, exerted some of his iron control to roll over, pulling the girl with him so that she was sprawled over his chest. He held her to him tightly, running his hand in soft caresses over her shoulder, waist and hip.

Kagome raised her head to look at him, but the youkai was staring straight above. She hesitated, worrying that he'd stopped because of something she'd done, but his warm expression when he finally met her eyes calmed that fear.

"Why?" she asked him quietly. That was all she could bring herself to say, but he knew she meant _why stop_.

He brushed her hair back from her face before returning his hand to his soothing strokes over her waist and his eyes to their upward gaze. She followed his stare, and saw only the thick canopy above them with a bare hint of stars in the rare gap.

"Not here, in this dark place." he replied softly. He shut his eyes, and she admired their magenta lining, longing to trace all the marks on his skin. The youkai sighed, drawing her attention away from his skin. "Not now, when Naraku taints your memories." He met her eyes again, and again she was hypnotised by his golden irises. Sesshomaru studied her face, his expression completely serious.

Kagome sighed, understanding his reasoning. He didn't want her memories of their moment together to be of a hasty tumble in a dark forest with Naraku's evil so nearby and so recent. It was more than amazing that he felt enough for her to restrain himself until the _right time and place_. It was usually girls who worried so about such things.

That didn't stop her from feeling a little frustrated. All she wanted to do was _jump_ him!

He must have caught some of her emotions, because the inu's lips curved in an amused smile. He tilted his head so he could speak with his lips brushing her hair.

"When it is you and I, beneath open sky. Then ..." _I will make you mine_. He couldn't finish the words, still fighting himself.

Kagome smiled, the action lighting her face and making her even more beautiful. And then her body shuddered, and she turned to cough violently with her hand covering her mouth.

Sesshomaru sat up, holding her through the spasms. His expression turned grim as he supported the miko, but his eyes ... his eyes showed rare hints of true fear.

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"So what's the plan?" Kagome asked, breaking the silence. She seemed a bit pale, but managed to mask the worst of her condition. The miko sat close to the Taiyoukai, a proximity that was closely observed by all her friends, with Shippo on her lap.

Kouga slouched back, brushing off the question with a toss of his head. "What plan? Let the bastard come to _us_!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed, giving the wolf a contemptuous glare, "I'm not sitting around waiting for that fucker – I'm gonna find the piece of shit. Its time he gets what's coming to him!"

Kagome looked questioningly at the slayer and monk. "What do you think?"

Sango shrugged, uncertain. "I understand both approaches. We could fall into a trap if we try to chase after Naraku, but at the same time ... we don't know what plans he could come up with if we give him too much time to prepare."

"It is certainly a difficult choice we must make." Miroku agreed.

Kagome was just turning towards Sesshomaru, when they all felt a familiar youkai approaching. In moments, the youkai and humans were on their feet and wary. Inuyasha had his sword drawn, vicious eagerness twisting his features.

"You have a lot of guts, coming here," the hanyou snarled.

"I don't have much to lose." Kagura replied, stepping off her feather and facing the group without flinching. "Either Naraku kills me, or you do. Something tells me his methods would be a lot more painful." The wind witch gave Kagome a sideways glance, and the girl winced away from the memories those words sparked.

"I'll give you painful, you fucking bit-" Kouga growled, stepping forwards.

"Stop!" Sesshomaru interrupted him. With some grumbling, the wolf subsided under the western lord's glare and the inu turned back to Naraku's offspring. "Speak, woman." he ordered.

Kagura clenched her fists, holding in her anger at being talked to like she was such a lower being. "Despite what you think of me, we share the same goals. Naraku is planning an ambush for you." She paused for a moment, letting that knowledge sink in. "In Inuyasha's Forest. He seems to believe that you will return there."

"What?!" the hanyou snapped. The thought of that evil bastard in _his_ forest ... where so many of his memories were ... where-

"The well!" Kagome exclaimed, and although Kagura didn't know of the miko's origins and the well's significance, it froze the others in their tracks. The girl's eyes were wide and frightened, and the witch noticed that her hand had stretched out to grip _Sesshomaru's_ wrist. "If he destroys the well ..." _I can't go back to get help for what's happening to me ... __I can never go home ... _

"That won't happen, Kagome." Miroku promised her. "We won't let it."

"What else?" Sesshomaru asked Kagura tersely.

"Is Naraku planning to use ... Kohaku?" Sango asked, hugging her brother tightly to her side.

Kagura shrugged. "He hasn't said as much. I think he enjoys different twists to his plots. The one in the most danger of manipulation is _her_."

Kagome didn't have to see it to know that the witch was pointing in her direction.

"We'll see how he gets through _me_ first!" Inuyasha spat, followed closely by similar statements from Kouga, Miroku and Sango. Even Kohaku and Shippo nodded their support while Kirara leapt to the miko's shoulder, rubbing herself comfortingly against her cheek.

Kagome fought back tears with a vibrant smile at the love shown by her friends. The inuyoukai by her side didn't have to say anything. He didn't need to say anything. She knew.

Kagura watched their interaction with interest. _So this is why Naraku has never been able to defeat Inuyasha or this group. This is why he didn't truly win all those years ago when Kikyo was alive. I've never seen this emotion so openly displayed by anyone like this mortal shows it. Love. I didn't believe there was such a thing, and I'll never understand it._ She stepped back on her feather, letting it lift slowly off the ground while wondering if this strange mix of fighters would be able to do anything to stand up to Naraku and an almost complete Sacred Jewel.

"He's got all the shards but three," she felt she had to warn them, "and he's much more powerful. You'd better come up with something good."

The miko stepped forward, surprising the witch into pausing in her departure. "Stay with us, Kagura," Kagome said softly, compassionately. In her eyes was the understanding, the empathy. "I know now what he's capable of, and you don't deserve that."

Kagura's expression darkened. "You have no idea." She looked away from them, not wanting their pity. "But my master has my heart in his fist, and I would be dead the instant he realised I was not going to return." She smirked at the miko, flicking open her fan. "Perhaps you will be successful, and I won't have to try even _more_ desperate measures!" With a short laugh, the witch was gone.

There was a long moment of silence after Kagura left. But silence never lasted long in their company.

"I'm gonna enjoy introducing that bastard to the end of Tetsusaiga," Inuyasha mused, almost thoughtful. Kagome didn't want to imagine the pictures that must have been going through his head.

"I feel so sorry for her," the miko said softly.

"She killed my brothers!" Kouga turned on her, his fur bristling.

"It wasn't her fault, Kouga! You have no idea what Naraku is really like, how he ..." she swallowed hard, trying to keep composed. Sesshomaru brushed his hand across her lower back, offering silent support. Kagome locked eyes with the wolf prince. "What she did was wrong, but she's not _evil_. No one deserves to have their lives in the hands of that monster."

Kouga looked away, conceding the point.

"I think we all agree with you on that, Kagome." Miroku added softly, clenching his right hand into a fist. He still hadn't gotten used to the absence of the wind tunnel in his palm, and would keep the beads around his hand until Naraku was dead. Just in case.

"But what is Naraku thinking, planning an ambush there?" Sango wondered aloud. "There isn't really anywhere to hide in that forest."

"What else matters except that we know to be on our guard?" Inuyasha interrupted abruptly. "We know what he's planning now, don't we? What else could that fucker do?"

Silence fell again, as they each wondered ...

Until Sesshomaru voiced what they were all thinking.

"What else, exactly."

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Kagura landed quietly in Inuyasha's Forest, a short way from where Naraku was staying. She had no idea what fascination an old cave under a dead tree could hold for the hanyou, or an ancient well for that matter, but she wasn't going to ask any questions. The witch slipped through the trees, her thoughts preoccupied with Kagome and her band.

She didn't notice how silent the forest was.

Out of nowhere, a hand wrapped around her throat, slamming her against a tree trunk. Kagura gasped, dropping her fan in her panic to bring her hands to her neck and try to loosen that death-hold. She stared in terror into Naraku's crimson eyes, struggling to free herself. But it was no use.

The spider hanyou smiled, a truly venomous baring of his teeth. He pressed in close, and Kagura turned her head away from him, flinching. The hand that wasn't strangling her reached up to brush a strand of hair from her face.

Naraku drew in a deep breath, and sighed. "I love the scent of your fear, Kagura. You know that that is one of the things that has kept you alive so long."

The witch closed her eyes, not wanting to see the darkness swimming in the depths of his. "I haven't done anything against your wishes, Master," she choked the words out, trying ... _trying_ to survive his madness. Hoping that he didn't ...

The monster laughed with that velvet voice of his. He breathed his words into her ear, enjoying the shudders she gave as he spoke.

"I _know_ that you've just paid a visit to my dear Kagome and her band of miscreants ... I _know _you let them past you without a fight just before they broke my barrier ... I _know_ you think they can stop me, and free you ... and I _know_ that you are going to tell me _everything_, yes, _everything_ that you told them, that they said, that they did. Every action, every word, every emotion. You will tell me everything, Kagura.

"And when you have nothing left to say ... Well. You're going to wish that you did."

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...

A/N: Geez. Naraku scares even _me _sometimes ... and this dialogue comes straight from my own head! This fic has been nominated in the angst category at the Feudal Association – I'm completely bowled over that even one person thought to nominate this, so thanks so much :) I'm loving all the reviews – it motivates me to give you more SesshKag moments! He strikes me as having real honour and I like that. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and you're ready for more angst to come.

Thanks for reading!

PS: after one of the reviews I realised that I may not have been completely clear about what happened to Kagome with Naraku, because I like implying things rather than saying them straight out. Naraku did not rape Kagome – he decided that it would cause her more harm if he drugged her until she didn't know her own name, get her to sleep with him willingly, and then enjoy her despair when her memories returned and she realised that she'd betrayed her friends and herself, rather than literally raping her. It wouldn't have been her fault either way, but she definitely would have blamed herself if she hadn't fought him. Unfortunately for Naraku, he hadn't found a combination of drugs strong enough to make her forget that he was _definitely _not someone she wanted touching her before she was rescued, but he plans on trying again after he's killed everyone she loves. As villains do. I hope that's cleared things up, and if you ever think I've been unclear about something, drop me a line. Cheers! :)


	15. Ch15: No Turning Back

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

A/N: Sorry for the delay in the update guys – life got in the way. I hope you approve of this chapter – I still have a clear idea of what's going to happen so I'm going to keep writing until its finished! Thanks for those very kind reviews – you guys are the greatest :)

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**Chapter 15**

**No Turning Back**

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Kagome walked over to her bag, crouching down to pack the last few items. Miroku was pouring sand over the remains of their fire, and Sango was strapping on her demon slayer gear. The miko sighed, reaching for her bow and slinging the quiver of arrows over her shoulder as she stood.

"All set," she murmured to herself, pulling her backpack over the other shoulder and adjusting the straps.

"What are you doing?"

She turned, staring at Sesshomaru in surprise. "Huh?" she replied intelligently.

"What are you doing?" the youkai repeated, drawing out the sentence a bit to indicate his irritation at her lack of understanding. He hated repeating himself.

Kagome frowned up at him. "I'm getting ready to leave." It was obvious, wasn't it?

Sesshomaru shifted, rising to his full height. Perhaps it was an unconscious attempt at intimidation, but it wasn't going to work with the girl from the future. "You are not coming with us."

The miko lifted an eyebrow as she folded her arms. "Really?" Had Sesshomaru been a man (or youkai) of the 21st century, he would have noticed the warning signs. Sadly, his knowledge was lacking. "Who says?"

He almost visibly twitched in surprise at the aggressive note in her voice.

When he didn't reply, Kagome gave him a hard glare. "I'll pretend you didn't say that." At the incredulous expression dawning across his face, the girl sighed and softened her stance a little. "Listen, Sesshomaru. I'm not from this time, and I won't be left behind like some helpless village girl. It's something you'll have to get used to."

She'd started to turn away, but the youkai grabbed her arm and turned her back towards him, pulling them out of direct sight of the rest of the group at the same time. He locked her in a very intense, commanding glare as he leaned closer. His hand tightened almost painfully around her wrist.

"This has nothing to do with sexism, girl," he growled, and her eyes widened in shock at his tone. "This has to do with Naraku's destruction, and you will not be present." He narrowed his eyes dangerously at her. "Not if I have to forcibly _make_ you stay ..."

Kagome yanked her arm out of his hold, glaring back at him and refusing to be intimidated. "There is _no way_ you are going to do this without me!" she snapped. "Unless you've forgotten, _I'm _the only one who can purify the jewel! It's _my_ fault the jewel is here in the first place, and I _will_ be there when Naraku is destroyed! Not to mention that my only way _home_ is in that forest!"

She was almost too busy being outraged to see the desperation that lay behind _his_ anger. But it became obvious when he brushed the side of her face with his hand, his expression softening. Kagome leaned against his hand, closing her eyes and sighing.

"I'm sorry, Sesshomaru," she said softly. "I _need_ to see that monster gone, and its my responsibility to see this done. I can't let my friends ... I can't let you go without me."

"You are infuriating," he replied just as softly, tracing her lips when they curved into a smile.

"Not as much as you are," she answered back, standing up on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on his lips. Well, it was _supposed_ to be gentle, but the youkai just had to pull her closer and run his claws across her skin _just like that_ ...

She pulled back, smiling up at him teasingly. "Completely infuriating." She loved it when he got that dangerous, eager glint in his eyes, but they didn't have time. Kagome jumped back when he reached for her, wagging her finger at him disapprovingly. "Uh uh, not now Mr 'Lord-of-the-Western-Lands-so-I-get-everything-I-want' ... but maybe later, if you're a good boy."

Kagome couldn't stop giggling at the priceless expression on his face. It had been ages since she'd laughed so hard. If there was a note of hysteria in her laugh, they both pretended to ignore it.

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"But I want to come with _you_!"

Kagome stroked the fox kit's fur soothingly. "I know, Shippo. But its too dangerous for you and Rin, and she needs someone to keep an eye on her until we get back."

The kitsune pulled back, scowling at her. It would have been more effective if his cheeks weren't wet with shed tears. "I'm not a _kid_ anymore, Kagome! I want to come and help!"

The miko looked down at him sadly. "You have helped us before, Shippo, I know that. You're as much a part of our band as Inuyasha. But it's different this time. I have to know that you're safe, otherwise I won't be able to do what I need to do. You understand that, don't you?"

Shippo nodded, sniffling. "Don't leave me, Mommy," he whispered quietly, and her heart almost broke at the heart-rending picture he made. _The forlorn little orphan, about to lose his adopted mother ... _ Kagome shook herself out of the path her thoughts had lead her. She hugged Shippo tightly, forcing the dark musings away.

"I love you, Shippo. I'll never want to leave you." Somehow she couldn't reassure him completely. It just didn't have the same affect, being unable to say 'I'll never leave you', but she refused to lie to him. It wasn't right. They had all known right from the start that she would have to leave someday. Even Shippo ...

Kagome forced herself to turn away and leave the only son she'd ever known. Her heart broke a little more with every step away from him, and while she could feel the tears running down her cheeks she couldn't stop them from falling. She could hear him crying, hear Rin trying to comfort him. _Mommy ... he called me his Mommy ..._

Sango walked beside her, her own expression strained. They'd been unsure whether to leave Kohaku behind or not, but since he was a sure target for Naraku he wouldn't be safe. Not that it was any safer taking him directly to the creature that wanted to kill him, but they didn't have many options.

Miroku was walking in front of them, chatting to Kohaku, while Inuyasha and Kouga were ahead of them. Sesshomaru was walking behind them, and Kagome dropped back to be nearer to him. She linked her arm in his, resting her head against his shoulder while they walked in step. What she really wanted to do was curl herself into his side, but she didn't want to cause a scene if Inuyasha happened to look back at them.

The miko sighed, closing her eyes and trusting in the inuyoukai to guide her steps. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend that they were alone and walking together under clear skies. She could pretend that her lungs weren't aching from all the violent coughing, and that she was getting better. She could pretend that they weren't heading straight towards the source of her nightmares, where her only way back to her own time was threatened.

The things one person could imagine were amazing.

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The trip to Inuyasha's Forest and the sacred well was interminable. It was the worst journey Kagome had ever experienced with her friends, fraught with bickering and tension. They were heading towards their last fight, and they all knew it would end. One way or another.

The only thing that kept her together was Sesshomaru. Without him, she would have jumped off the nearest cliff, or at least sat Inuyasha so many times that he made one for her. The miko retreated more and more into herself, finding herself unable to hide her deteriorating condition from her friends. But their concern just made her more irritable.

"Goddammit, Inuyasha! Would you get the hell away from me?! I said I'm _fine_!" she snarled at last, infuriated by him hovering over her and sniffing in her direction.

"Don't talk shit, wench!" he countered, refusing to back down. "You smell like-_OOF!_" The sound of the word she'd shouted reverberated in all their ears, and by the size of the hole the hanyou had made, she'd really put some force into it.

"_Bitch ..._"

Kagome huffed, stalking away from the crater and pretending she didn't hear him. When the dizziness hit her, she just had to hold out her hand and Sesshomaru was there to support her. Although the rest of them desperately wanted to help her, it was obvious that she wasn't interested. They were good enough friends to ignore her, of course.

By a unanimous vote, Sango was the one elected to bring up the subject again.

It was late in the evening, when they had all eaten supper and settled down to talk quietly or sleep. The demon-slayer sat down a short distance from where her friend was leaning against a tree next to the inuyoukai. Kagome's eyes were closed, but Sesshomaru watched the slayer carefully. Sango met his stare, and tried to communicate through her eyes how concerned she was, how much she wanted to help her friend.

The youkai inclined his head, and then looked down at the miko who was resting her head against his shoulder. That wordless glance was enough to rouse her, and Kagome coughed harshly before looking up at him with weary eyes. He murmured something indistinct to her, and Kagome turned to look at Sango. The slayer was shocked by how worn, pale and pain-lined the miko's face was.

Sango moved to her side, taking her hands in a tight grip. Her anxiety rose as she got a closer look at her face, and Sango felt guilt ride up in her chest. "How could I not have noticed the state you are in sooner?" she asked quietly, more to herself than to Kagome. "Was I so wrapped up in myself that I let you get like this?"

"It's not your fault, Sango," Kagome protested, shaking her head slightly to pull her thoughts together. "It was mine. Those stupid pills, and my stupid arrogance. I kept thinking that I was in some story, and nothing bad could happen to me." She laughed bitterly as she remembered how wrong she'd been. From somewhere, she summoned a smile for her stricken friend. "I'll be fine. I just want to reach Naraku, and get this over with."

"Tomorrow, Kagome." Inuyasha said softly from the other side of the fire. He hadn't taken his eyes off her since they had stopped, but didn't try to stay by her again. He wasn't the one she needed. The hanyou met his brother's eyes briefly, before turning away. There was a touch of bitterness in his heart, that he'd lost his Kagome so suddenly to someone he'd never thought of as a competitor. It had been clear after they'd gotten her back from Naraku, in the way she clung to the inuyoukai and the way they looked at each other. If he were truthful with himself, it had been clear long before but he'd refused to see it.

In a rare moment of selflessness and maturity he'd acknowledged that he would never have been able to give his whole heart to her. There was someone else he'd made a promise to, a promise that he could never break. And he knew Sesshomaru would care for her, because he had already shown it.

And if he broke her heart... Inuyasha's fist tightened around the hilt of his father's fang. _I'll kill him_.

"Tomorrow," Kagome repeated, closing her eyes and leaning her head once again against the inuyoukai's shoulder. "Tomorrow..."

Every member of their band repeated the word silently in their minds, and when they settled to sleep every one of them felt the enormity of what they were facing. It was going to end, tomorrow...

One way or another.

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"Kaede?" Kagome called, running forward with her heart in her throat. There were tools strewn around the fields, a few scorch-marks and the odd shape lying on the ground that her mind refused to acknowledge, but no sign of any people. None _living_.

The miko ignored Inuyasha's call to stop, and ran inside the old miko's house. Kagome squinted in the dark, letting her eyes adjust, but there was nothing there except a toppled pot and a missing set of bow and arrows. Kagome walked back to the entrance, noting that Kouga was checking the huts on the other side of the village.

"Where have they all gone?" she asked, reaching Sango and Miroku. "What happened here?"

The monk looked sadly at the shapes Kagome refused to see. "It seems that most of them have been taken. As hostages, knowing Naraku. Except for the few that perhaps resisted too much." The monk motioned to Inuyasha, and they and Kouga went to deal with the few villagers who hadn't survived Naraku's assault.

"Do you think Kaede ...?" Kagome asked Sango, but the other girl shook her head.

"I don't know, Kagome. We can only hope that she is alright." Sango put her arm around Kohaku, trying not to think about how close she was to losing him again.

She'd known, when Kohaku had come back to her, that it wasn't forever. They only had until the jewel had to be completed to spend time together, and while she'd tried to make the most of every moment it could never be enough. He was her little brother, the one she'd failed to protect, and she couldn't bear losing him again. He was the living-dead, a walking corpse, with only a shard of crystal keeping him moving. They'd spoken about it, about what was going to happen, and it still made her want to cry when she remembered what he'd said.

"_I don't mind, Sango," he'd said, looking up at the cloudless sky. "I'm tired, and there are so many things that I don't want to remember. I just want to see the rest of the family. I miss them so much ..."_

The far-away look in his eyes was back, and she knew it was because he was imagining the next world, where the rest of her family and entire village waited. Kohaku was just a boy, who missed his parents.

Kirara jumped from her shoulder to Kohaku's, rubbing against his face until the boy smiled and scratched her behind the ears until she purred. Sango smiled as well at their antics. Kirara would always be with her, and ... The slayer looked towards Miroku, where he was talking with Inuyasha. She smiled a little, thinking about how he'd changed since the curse on his hand had been removed. It had been knowledge of his imminent death that had stopped him from opening up to her, his fear of getting too close to someone when he had no future. But now, they both had futures. After today. After Naraku.

Sesshomaru was standing and staring towards the edge of the forest when Kagome reached his side.

"What do you think?" she asked quietly.

The inu glanced down at her, a flash of gold, before returning his stare to the forest. "There appears to be a barrier. The rest of the villagers are behind it, as is Naraku."

"Are they alive?"

Sesshomaru paused before answering. "I am not sure. The barrier blocks their scent."

Kagome leaned against him, and he wrapped his arm around her while they waited for the rest of their friends to join them.

And they did. After burying the villagers who'd been killed by Naraku or one of his spawn.

Without speaking, they all stepped forward until the barrier was in front of them. The trees on the other side were barely visible, obscured by dark swirling fog. It almost looked like the barrier was a bubble, containing the type of storm clouds and black mists only found in the worst nightmares.

There was a sharp noise as Inuyasha drew his sword, the blade glowing a deep red as he brandished it with vicious eagerness. "I'll take care of this!" The hanyou stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the barrier – the last thing that dared to stand between him and Naraku.

But before he could raise his sword, Kagome was walking past him.

"What the fuck are you doing, wench?"

The miko ignored their questions, shrugging off Miroku's hand from her shoulder and she reached out her hand to touch the barrier. There was a collected sigh of relief when she wasn't killed instantly, but she was almost killed anyway by her friends for her recklessness.

"What the hell were you thinking, Kagome?" Kouga growled at her, his expression thunderous.

"It's fine!" the miko sighed, pushing her hand through the barrier to prove to them that it was safe. "It wouldn't make any sense for Naraku to make a barrier we couldn't cross. He _wants_ us to get through. I'd guess it is just there to alert him to where we cross over – just as Inuyasha's breaking the barrier would have. We can't hide where we are."

Miroku frowned thoughtfully. "I agree, but ... I doubt that it is as easy to get out of the barrier as it is to enter it."

"We won't need to think about that." Kagome said, facing away from all of them while she spoke so that none could see the dark despair, the fear and broken determination that was in her eyes. "Either there won't be a barrier to worry about, or we won't be in a position to worry about it. Or anything else."

Before the rest could fully digest the implication of her words, the miko walked straight through the barrier with Sesshomaru close behind her, the youkai with a wary hand on his sword.

"Here it goes," Miroku took a deep breath, stepping through quickly.

The world on the other side of the bubble was different entirely from the sunny place they'd left behind. There was no sun in this world, only a land of looming trees and dark shadows in the fog. There were no ordinary noises one might expect in a forest, but strange distant wails and grunts, rustling and sighs. They stood close together, staring out at the strange, disturbing place they had entered.

"How much of this do you think is real?" Sango asked Miroku quietly, but it was Sesshomaru who answered.

"Naraku has almost all of the sacred jewel. Do not make the mistake of thinking any of this is an illusion. That will be the last thing you do." The inuyoukai stepped forward, raising his chin as he surveyed the gloom. He compared the evidence of his sense of smell with his knowledge of the layout of the forest before turning back to them.

"I believe that the hostages are in _that_ direction," he gestured to their right, "while Naraku is in the direction of the well." That was to their left.

"He's deliberately trying to split us up," Sango commented angrily.

"And not being too subtle about it." Miroku agreed, laying a hand on the slayer's shoulder.

They all exchanged glances, weighing up the possibilities in their minds. None of them wanted to separate, knowing that that played into the spider-hanyou's hands, but none of them wanted to leave Kaede or the villagers either. And of course they all wanted a piece of the bastard Naraku.

"Sango, Kohaku, Miroku and Kouga can go save the hostages," Kagome spoke up at last, "While Inuyasha, Sesshomaru and I will go after Naraku." She stopped Kouga from protesting with a sharp glance. "It would be foolish to take the last three jewel shards straight to him, Kouga! You have to help keep Kohaku safe and try to stay out of trouble." She meet each of their eyes. "Is that alright?"

"We don't have much choice," Kouga agreed bitterly.

"Those hostages are still a trap," Kagome warned him, her eyes softening with her concern for them. "Be careful."

The wolf grinned down at her, taking her hands in his and raising them to his lips for a quick kiss. "Don't worry, my Kagome! I'll look after all of them for you!" Sesshomaru glowered at him, but didn't comment on what he considered to be the wolf taking liberties with _his_ miko.

"Be careful," she repeated when she hugged Sango and Miroku, a phrase that they repeated to her. There wasn't any time for long partings, and it seemed too soon that the slayer, her brother, the monk and wolf prince were swallowed by the fog.

And then it was Kagome and the two brothers left, and they too walked deeper into the fog towards Naraku – and the corrupted jewel which Kagome could feel like a dark cancer on the edges of her senses. Her powers roiled beneath the surface, ebbing and flowing in fitful stages that, thankfully, did not seem to be about to burst forth unbidden. She wasn't going to purify her friends by accident, but ... The miko stumbled, caught by her youkai protector. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, feeling how clammy and cold her skin was. Inside, she was terrified at heading towards the creature who'd wanted to rape her – who still did, just so that he could break her soul even more than he had fractured her spirit.

She wasn't going to purify her friends by accident, but would she be able to summon up the strength to destroy the demon and make the pure wish they all needed from her? Would she be able to do what needed to be done?

Kagome clenched her fist so tight that her nails almost broke the skin of her palm.

_I have to finish this now. Or there won't be a future._

_For anyone._

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	16. Ch16: Into the Nightmare

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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**Chapter 16**

**Into the Nightmare**

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Kohaku walked between Sango and Miroku, with Kouga in front and Kirara keeping an eye on things from behind. Sango's nerves were barely holding together. She kept one hand on her hiraikotsu, ready to slam anything that threatened her little brother. The slayer could feel it, in her chest – the fear. It's slimy hands gripped her throat, squeezed her heart. _I'm going to lose him ... dear God, I'm going to lose him today ..._

Every second felt like a lifetime in the strange sun-less world they were in. It was like they were outside time. Outside reality. She wasn't the only one who thought she saw moving shadows in the corners of her eyes.

Miroku kept a wary eye on their surroundings, moving slowly forward until he was next to Kouga. The monk leaned towards the wolf, whispering his question. "Are we being watched?"

The wolf prince frowned, looking around them suspiciously. "I don't understand it. I could swear that we are, but I can't smell a damn thing!"

They were interrupted by a fierce yowl from Kirara, and turned to see the large nekoyoukai leaping through the air, landing on what looked like any other shadow. They stared for a moment, transfixed by the sight of the cat biting into a _writhing shadow_.

Kouga jumped forward, grabbing the other side of the shadow (that wasn't having holes pierced in it by Kirara's fangs). The two youkai struggled with the slippery shade for a long moment before Miroku hit the creature with his sacred staff and it crumbled to dust with a strange scream.

"That was strange," Sango commented at last. "At least I know I'm not crazy."

"What was that thing?" Kohaku asked softly.

"I'm not entirely sure," the slayer answered. "I don't think its one of Naraku's creatures."

Kouga kicked the ground where the remaining dust of the creature was. "Nope. I think it was something a bit different. Those things remind me of a type of evil spirit. They aren't entirely dead, but just wander around the earth causing as much harm as possible. Sometimes they possess mortals, or destroy crops, or suffocate infants. Mostly, though, they're drawn to evil."

"I think I know what you're talking about," Miroku agreed. He stared around at the shadow-filled mist. "They might even be what's causing half of this fog. Naraku has most of the jewel, which is tainted because its in his hands. It makes sense that these spirits would be drawn to such powerful evil."

"Are they dangerous?"

Miroku ruffled Kohaku's hair, smiling comfortingly down at the boy. "Sometimes, but not to us. I have sutras that will repel them." He handed each of them one after activating it, and even convinced Kouga to take one although the wolf sneered at the piece of paper.

But despite Kouga's disbelief, the air around them seemed to clear a bit and the shadows receded as they progressed.

"Are the shades suppressing your sense of smell?" Miroku asked the wolf.

Kouga shook his head. "I know what you're thinking, and no. I don't smell the villagers as such. Just ..." he glanced down at the human boy, hesitating. "I smell youkai blood off in _that _direction." He pointed off to their right.

The three adults exchanged looks. "Should we investigate?" Miroku asked. "It would mean a bit of a detour, and I'm not sure we have time."

"We don't even know who it is!" Sango exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously. "We need to rescue the villagers before getting concerned about an unknown youkai."

Kouga sniffed loudly, and then crouched down a bit, his entire aura shifting. "Its not an unknown youkai," he growled, fur raised.

"Well who is it?" Sango demanded, frustrated by his incomplete answer.

"Its Kagura."

The monk and slayer took a moment to digest that comment. "What should we do?" Sango asked quietly, uncertain.

"I don't give a fuckin' damn what you do," Kouga rumbled, moving in the direction of the blood-scent. "I want to know what the hell is going on!"

The rest of them had no choice but to follow.

Thankfully, Kouga didn't race ahead as fast as his jewel-powered legs could have let him. But other than that, he showed no sign that he was concerned about the mortals following after him. When Kagome wasn't around, he reverted a little back into the youkai who had let his wolves terrorise villages. The miko's influence had changed him, but there was no mortal he valued as he did her.

And now she was out of his reach.

The wolf gritted his teeth, clenching his hands into fists. _Damn that dog bastard! How did this happen? How could Kagome ..._ He cut the thought off viciously. He'd backed off from Kagome when Sesshomaru had made it clear in the language only youkai could understand that she was _his_, but only because he had no choice. The Taiyoukai would have ripped him apart limb from limb otherwise, whether Kagome liked it or not.

...o..o.o..o...

"_Shall I accompany you, my dear Kagome?" Kouga had knelt at her side in an instant. He held her hands tenderly in his, gracing her with his most charming smile._

_Kagome's eyes flashed to the side, where Sesshomaru was sitting. The youkai was gracing Kouga with a distinctly threatening glare. "No, Kouga, but thank you. I'm sure you have more important things to deal with. Your pack needs you more than I do."_

_The wolf grinned up at her. "You are so gracious, just what I would expect from my woman! It has been a pleasure seeing you, and do not hesitate to call for me. That hanyou lout doesn't have the wit to take proper care of you." Kagome gave a nervous laugh, knowing that Inuyasha was fuming on one side of her, and Sesshomaru was getting angrier on the other side. Things weren't looking good for the wolf if he didn't keep his mouth shut. But then Kouga raised her hand to his lips._

_Inexplicably, he stopped halfway. The wolf froze for a second, before he shot her a wide and nervous smile and raced off into the distance. Kagome blinked, staring down at the spot that Kouga had been occupying moments before with confusion. She looked at Inuyasha, but the hanyou's eyes were looking elsewhere. The miko followed them slowly ... to Sesshomaru. Inuyasha was staring in shock at his half-brother, his mouth slightly open._

_And Sesshomaru was sitting calmly, leaning against the tree with his eyes closed ..._

_As if the vicious subliminal growl that had scared Kouga off hadn't come from him._

...o..o.o..o...

Kouga snarled at the memory of it. None of the humans had heard the warning Sesshomaru had given him, and he didn't think Inuyasha had really understood it. _How could a hanyou understand? That mutt never got the training his pack would have given him if his blood was pure._ No. There was no way Inuyasha could have understood that Sesshomaru's reaction placed Kagome higher than a normal member of his pack. That response meant that the inuyoukai had laid his claim on _his_ miko, and the damn hanyou hadn't even realised it!

And now it seemed worse than ever. Kagome was lost to him ... unless ... _Unless Sesshomaru doesn't survive the fight with Naraku._ The wolf's spirits lifted a little at the thought, and the possibilities that came with being the one to comfort the miko afterwards.

He refocussed on his surroundings then, Kagura's blood-scent becoming very sharp and from somewhere very close by. The wolf wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn't the sight awaiting him when he finally reached her.

Nothing could have made him expect that.

"My god," Sango exclaimed as she came up next to him.

Kagura was hanging from a tree limb, a rope securing her wrists. Her own folded fan had been thrust through her chest, where her heart would have been if Naraku didn't have it. Blood had stained the ground beneath her feet, and still fell constantly in what must be life-threatening quantities – even for a youkai.

At the slayers words, the wind witch opened her eyes. She looked at them, and her lips curved in a bitter half-smile.

"He said I should expect you to pass by," Kagura whispered, her voice hoarse and strained.

Kouga stepped forward, only to hit a barrier that forced him back a few steps. The wolf cracked his knuckles, intending on trying again, but Naraku's incarnation shook her head, stopping him.

Kagura winced at the pain the movement had caused, and coughed harshly. "It's no use. Leave me here. I'm not going to die for a while yet – that bastard wants more time to punish me for helping you."

"How did he know?" Miroku asked her.

"He knows everything. Kanna was probably watching me, that soulless bitch." She smirked viciously as she thought about what she wanted to do to the both of them. The moment Naraku had pinned her with his hand around her throat wouldn't be an easy memory to dismiss. It was yet another nightmare to add to her collection. And the moments that had followed ... it was enough for a century of hate, pain and terror. She had never imagined that she could hate him even more than she had, or that she was capable of such vicious feelings combined with such absolute fear.

"Is there anything we can do?" Sango said at last, drawing her back to the present. It was hard to concentrate with the huge amount of blood-loss she'd suffered.

"You can kill him." Kagura replied, deadly serious. "That's the only thing that will help me – the only thing that'll help any of us." The witch closed her red eyes, fighting off unconsciousness. "I don't know anything he's planned, but I do know he's expecting you. He had anticipated that I'd tell you he was here. Naraku _wanted_ you here. That should be enough warning."

"Kagura ..." Kouga spoke her name softly, and the other youkai opened her eyes long enough to meet his. She seemed to be looking for something in his eyes, as he was in hers. After a long moment, Kagura closed her eyes again with a sigh.

"Hurry up you mangy wolf," she whispered. "You better fight damn better than you did when last we met, with only mortals to help you."

To Sango's and Miroku's surprise, Kouga actually grinned at her. "Keep breathing, witch, and you'll see just how well I fight when we meet again."

Kagura scoffed at his words, but for a moment it seemed that she smiled back, before she sank into unconsciousness again.

Kouga watched her for a moment, before turning and heading towards the hostages.

"I hope she's going to be okay," Kohaku said to his sister quietly. "She was nice to me."

Sango hugged him with one arm, smiling half-heartedly. As much as she tried, she couldn't dismiss Kagura's reaction when she'd looked at Kohaku in that first moment. The witch's eyes had widened, and she'd looked straight at Sango. In that wordless stare and the slight shake of her head, she'd revived all of the slayer's fears. Sango didn't think that anyone else had noticed, although Miroku might have. The monk could be observant at times.

Was Kagura trying to tell her that Kohaku still couldn't be trusted? That even though he'd spent all this time with them, at any moment Naraku could make him turn on them? Kagome had suggested it to her, and she'd seen Miroku's and Inuyasha's worried glances. They thought she was getting too attached, that she would forget somehow that it was only a jewel shard keeping him alive, and Naraku's whimsical acceptance of Kagome's demands to free his will that was keeping him _Kohaku_ rather than a puppet.

_How could she forget? How could she forget that at any moment she may have to kill her own brother?_

Miroku watched Sango's shoulders tense as she slung her arm around her brother's shoulders. He clenched his right hand into a fist, feeling the prayer beads press against his palm. He knew what she was thinking, because his life also seemed to be hanging by a thread, with Naraku holding on to the other end. The monk believed that it would be easy for the spider hanyou to re-instate his curse, and it was only because it played into his plans that the wind tunnel hadn't returned yet. He was afraid for his own life, of course, but in a way he'd accepted that he was going to die long ago. He was afraid that if (when) the void took over, his friends would be caught too near. But he was afraid of more than that.

He was afraid of what Kagome would do to save them. He was afraid of what the selfless, loving and loyal miko would sacrifice for them. Unlike any of the others, except possibly Sesshomaru, he realised that Kagome hadn't allowed Naraku to capture her because of her addiction. No. She'd done it so that she could remove his curse, restore Kohaku to Sango, and give them a chance to kill Naraku when they followed her. Miroku was far from dim, and very observant. While he might not have realised her motives at first, Kagome's behaviour since had made it clear to him.

She loved Sesshomaru. She loved all of them.

And she was willing to give up anything to spare them harm.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

Kagome flinched, for what must have been the hundredth time. In the corner of her eye she could have sworn that the shadows shifted, but when she started and turned to look there was never anything there. It was infinitely frustrating, and was making her incredibly jumpy. As if she hadn't been jumpy enough before. Inuyasha was walking in front of her, and Sesshomaru behind. The positioning seemed to have been a wordless agreement between the two brothers – her safety was the one thing they didn't argue about.

"Spirits are causing this mist, and your discomfort." Sesshomaru reassured her in his usual matter-of-fact tone. "They are drawn to evil, and enjoy feeding on it."

"Fucking parasites," Inuyasha spat. He kept one hand on the hilt of Tetsusaiga, watching the surrounding mists suspiciously. He couldn't smell a damn thing except for Naraku, and even that scent seemed to be all around them. The hanyou shook himself angrily. _I hate the smell of that bastard! I'm going to enjoy removing it ..._ But just as his mind was creating a number of vivid and pleasing images of the different ways he would skewer his enemy, another scent reached his nose.

Inuyasha's head jerked up, and if he hadn't smelled it he would have thought he'd imagined the figure standing almost obscured completely by the mists. But he would never be unable to recognise that profile.

"Kikyo?" the hanyou said in an almost-whisper, stepping towards her before he'd even registered what he was doing.

Because there, staring at him through the curling mists, _was_ Kikyo. As always happened when he saw her, she was even more beautiful than the image he held in his mind. There was something about her – an ethereal grace – that no one else possessed. Not even Kagome. Her presence drew him like a moth to flame – a fitting description, since she kept trying to drag him into the flames of hell. But it didn't matter what everyone else said, or how much it hurt Kagome. It didn't matter that her soul was only a fragment of what it was, or even that it was a fragment of the worst part of her. It was still Kikyo he loved, and this clay imitation was all he had left of her.

So when Kikyo turned and disappeared into the mist, Inuyasha raced after her. He didn't hear Kagome's cries, because his whole being was focussed on the dead priestess – even at the expense of the living one.

"_Inuyasha!!_" Kagome started after him, but was stopped by a hand on her wrist. She looked up into Sesshomaru's eyes, her own wide and fearful.

"Stop, Kagome." the youkai said, his voice firm and unyielding. But his eyes couldn't hide their gentle understanding. "Naraku is trying to split us up further. It won't do any good to follow Inuyasha. He must make his own way."

"But Kikyo wants him to die, Sesshomaru!" the miko argued vehemently. "She wants to drag him into hell to punish him for something that wasn't his fault! If it was really Kikyo, she would never treat him like that, but ..." Her voice faded when she followed the thought through.

The inuyoukai ran a hand across her cheek, wiping away her tears. "But you have the soul that was hers, and now is rightfully yours. Yet another problem where the blame does not rest at your feet." Sesshomaru watched her struggle with herself, wondering at the affection he felt towards this small, tearful mortal woman. "Inuyasha must face this dead priestess himself."

Kagome tightened her hands into fists. Her expression cleared, setting into one of grim determination. "I know what I have to face." Her eyes flashed with a fiery anger. "The one who started all of this."

Sesshomaru looked ahead, his expression neutral and yet slightly aloof – as usual. Kagome looked up at him, at the striking markings on his skin and the pale, perfect skin that were completely over-shadowed by his eyes. She'd never gotten over those eyes – the gold that was so unique, so alien. They reminded her that she was far from the world she knew, and at the same time that she wanted to be nowhere else.

Kagome ran her hand over the silk of his sleeve, wanting so badly to be away from this nightmare forest. She wanted to be anywhere else, as long as he was with her. But ...

_I can deal with this. I can. Because he's here with me. I'm not alone._

It was an immeasurable comfort, knowing that she wasn't alone. Knowing that Sesshomaru wouldn't just leave her, as Inuyasha had. He was a formidable fighter – Kagome didn't think that her purification powers, even at their strongest, could do more than singe his skin.

"Sesshomaru,"

The youkai turned to look down at her, meeting her eyes with those burning gold irises.

"Promise me, that if things go wrong ... Promise me that you'll stop me from hurting anyone? I couldn't live with that."

That was the other amazing thing about Sesshomaru. He didn't question her, or sprout useless arguments or words he couldn't support. He just looked her over, measuring her words before nodding once, silently.

It was reassuring to know that, if she went mad with the power boiling inside of her, someone would be able to stop her and he wouldn't hesitate.

Sesshomaru walked at her side when the miko marched forward. He wondered whether she noticed the sparks of pink purification powers that hovered over her skin, but thought it unlikely. If the situation had been less serious, it might have been interesting to see Naraku's reaction when the charged-up miko faced him. But Sesshomaru had no intention to let her get anywhere near him. His miko (_his Kagome_) was not going to be endangered – not in any way.

Inside, the beast agreed with a vicious snarl.

If anyone was watching, they would be right to be afraid: of the fiery miko surrounded by a glow of her powers, and a Taiyoukai with red edges to his eyes and poisonous acid at the tips of his claws.

And yet, in the clearing they were heading towards, their enemy watched their progress through a small silver-edged mirror.

Naraku watched, and laughed.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

A/N: Hey all, hope you'll forgive the shortness of this – the updates will hopefully come a little faster (or at least once every two weeks as planned) because although my workload hasn't decreased, as we get closer to the end I just want to write more! Expect much upcoming drama and angst. Thanks for the reviews, and for reading :)

Have an awesome week!


	17. Ch17: Loss

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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**Chapter 17**

**Loss**

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_Kikyo ..._ His breath came in sharp pants as Inuyasha pushed past the snatching tree limbs and the dangling vines, trying to keep his love in view. He didn't stop to wonder how she could stay ahead of him, or why he couldn't smell her any more. When it came to Kikyo, he didn't think. He could only _feel_.

Feel the shame.

Feel the guilt.

Feel the desperate emotion that could only be labelled love.

It seemed to be an eternity of running through a dead forest before he burst into a clearing in the dark wood. A clearing where the false-Kikyo he'd been racing after split into the shadow-spirits that plagued the forest, and the _real _Kikyo stood at the centre, her bow drawn with an arrow pointed at his heart.

Inuyasha rocked back on his heels, staring at the undead miko with wide eyes. "Kikyo?"

Kikyo met his eyes, and he felt his heart clench at the raw hatred he saw there. "Inuyasha," His name on her lips sounded like poison, as she filled it with all the rage in her being. She looked him over, and her appraisal felt like lashes against his skin. As if she hated more than the sight of him – she hated that he was even breathing. She hated that he was alive – that he was alive, and she wasn't.

"Kikyo, what are you doing?" the hanyou asked in an almost-whisper, as if anything louder would make her fade away as well. "Naraku is-"

"That abomination means nothing to me," she replied, her voice hard and loud in the dark.

"But he's going to destroy everyone! Everything!" Inuyasha replied, images of his friends flashing through his mind. "Kikyo-"

"What happens to the living doesn't concern me," she interrupted him again, frowning as she noticed his attention turning away from her. "And it doesn't concern you, either, since you won't be long amongst their number."

"I didn't betray you, Kikyo," Inuyasha argued, his voice soft as he let his eyes wander over her face. "Naraku is the reason that we both suffered."

"But I was the one who died!" the miko shouted back. "I, Inuyasha! Not _you_!" She tightened her grip on the bow, staring at him along the length of the arrow which was aimed at his heart. "And that is going to change. I won't be doomed to this half-life, because my replacement you care so much for won't return what belongs to me! If I have to go to hell, then I won't go alone."

The hanyou watched her for a long moment, before spreading out his arms beseechingly. "I would have died for you, Kikyo, I still would. But this isn't you."

"No," she snapped back, "because _she_-"

"Don't blame Kagome for being born with your soul," Inuyasha countered softly.

"She is nothing like me," Kikyo spat. "I've seen you fawning over her, Inuyasha. The poor copy ..."

"Don't!" he stopped her, getting angry for the first time. "She isn't you, Kikyo, but sometimes I see you in her. She's got a good heart. She doesn't deserve your hatred!"

Kikyo's head was bowed, her eyes in darkness as she was silent for a moment. "Don't you understand?" Kikyo asked him, her voice almost pleading. "Hatred is all I have left." She released the arrow, and Inuyasha only barely dodged its path. Kikyo had another arrow strung before he could blink, and it was only his instinctive sideways dive that let him prevent an arrow from piercing his chest.

"Dammit, Kikyo!" he shouted, drawing his sword. "Stop! You're just playing into Naraku's hands!"

Kikyo gave a short, mocking laugh. If Inuyasha had had Kagome or even Miroku with him, they would have been able to tell him that there was something wrong with Kikyo – that a darkness permeated her aura. Whether it was the darkness of her own angry soul or the proximity of the majority of the tainted jewel that was the cause, neither would have been able to say. Whatever the reason, the priestess's rage couldn't be calmed by words.

"I told you," she sneered, "That creature has nothing to do with this. My soul cannot move on. The hatred I felt for you when I died will never let me go. I won't let you leave here alive!"

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

"We're almost there," Kouga told Sango, Miroku, Kohaku and Kirara. He sniffed the breeze, frowning as he did. "I smell some blood, but there are a few living with some demons with them."

"Guards, no doubt," Miroku murmured softly. "We'll have to be careful."

Kouga snorted in disgust, but he didn't argue as they moved forward slowly and quietly. They inched forward as they heard nearing sounds, finally reaching a spot where they could see the hostages. It was almost enough to make Sango leap forward instantly, but her slayer training helped her hold the fury inside. She spared a moment to thank the absent gods that Kagome was not with them.

But that was all she would be thanking them for. That, and the fact that Kaede was still alive, although barely. Perhaps the old miko would have preferred to be dead.

Kaede was kneeling, with her hands and ankles tied behind her, as were the remaining villagers. There were still many alive, but there were also those that had met their end in terrible ways.

The fire around which the demon guards were resting gave off an awful stench, that smelt horribly like burnt flesh. At least one poor soul had met their end in that fire, in plain view of the rest of the humans – many of whom were sobbing quietly. One of the snake youkai with a large lump in its belly looked like it had been the end of another villager. Those humans still alive bore signs of their treatment – burns, bleeding lashes, cuts and bruises. Kaede was among the worst, the old woman barely staying upright as she swayed on her knees.

"So what's the plan?" Kouga asked after they'd had time to take the scene in. Even the wolf seemed to find the situation distasteful, and he was no lover of humans (other than Kagome, of course).

"You and I will take care of the guards, while Sango and Kohaku can free the villagers and protect them as they escape." Miroku replied, tightening his grip on his staff.

"Wait-" Sango began, but the wolf prince interrupted her.

"Sounds good to me," Kouga grinned with vicious anticipation, and he darted forward before Sango could say anything to stop him. It had been bad enough that Kagome hadn't wanted him with her, although he could understand her reasoning, but it had been worse when he'd seen Kagura. There was something about the witch that got under his skin, and the fact that it was her own creator who had done such a thing to her revolted him.

But at the same time, Kouga felt that it was now his place to make Naraku pay for what he had done. And if the closest he could get to Naraku was the bastard's servants, then he'd damn well give it to them until he could get the demon himself.

Miroku shot Sango an exasperated look before running after the impatient youkai. The monk gritted his teeth as he raised his staff, whirling it expertly in one hand while the other reached inside his robes for his sacred sutras.

Sango leapt out of hiding as well, aiming to get between the villagers and their guards. "Tear their bindings, Kirara!" she called to the demon cat, who growled her acknowledgement. With a roar and a flash of flame, Kirara changed into her larger form and was at Kaede's side in a moment. She lowered her head, slashing the bindings with her teeth while being careful not to hurt the old priestess before moving on to the next captive. Kohaku was soon next to her, helping to free them all quickly.

Kouga moved across the clearing like lightning – lashing out at the demon guards and making another attack before they could even turn to defend themselves. Miroku was striking at the disorientated youkai with his staff, banishing two with sutras. But just as they thought they had destroyed all of the guards, a huge swarm of demons rose up from the surrounding forest with a roar. Massive demons, hybrids of serpents, rodents, insects and worms with teeth and claws, tentacles and razor-sharp blades. They descended on the group before they could even take in the sheer numbers of their opponents.

The women and children screamed as they ducked down behind the braver ones who stood to protect them. 

It didn't seem to matter how many were taken apart by Kouga's kicks, Miroku's staff, Kirara's teeth or Sango and Kohaku's weapons – there were just so many, and no Inuyasha with his Wind Scar to take them all out in one blow.

"Anyone have a plan?" Miroku called out as he ducked another piece of flying youkai.

"We could use Inuyasha," Sango muttered, her breathing getting heavier as the effort of swinging her hiraikotsu started taking its toll.

"We don't need that mutt!" Kouga snapped, his pride hit by the mention of the hanyou. "I can deal with all these damn vermin myself!"

The wolf re-doubled his efforts, leaning on the strength of the shards in his legs to keep himself moving around fast, without diminishing the power in his hits. He tried to be everywhere at once, and he damn near succeeded. Finally, clear patches of sky were visible where there had been only youkai. And then Kirara pulled the last youkai from the sky, killing it with a fatal bite to the throat.

The fighters were left panting, muscles trembling – tired but alive. Sango met Miroku's eyes, and they grinned at each other – feeling the sheer relief followed by a rush of exhilaration at being alive.

"What now?" Kohaku asked.

"We're going to clean everyone up enough to walk, and then get the villagers out of here." Sango replied, kneeling at Kaede's side.

The old woman smiled up at her. "Thank you, child," the priestess breathed. "Perhaps I haven't reached the end of this life yet."

"Not if we have anything to say about it," Miroku answered her with a smile before moving away to help bandage an older man's leg that had been sliced open by an insect youkai's pincers.

"And then we're going after Kagome!" Kouga added, trying not to sway on his feet. Destroying that many demons had taken a toll, and even he needed a few moments to recover before going after Naraku. Taking the villagers to the edge of the barrier should give him enough time, while not taking too long. _I can't wait to get my hands on him ..._

Miroku moved to help Sango with tending to the villagers, while Kirara lent a shoulder to those who needed help standing.

Kohaku started to get up from where he'd been resting, ready to help his sister and Kirara, when a pulse struck his body and reverberated in his soul. The boy hunched forward, a hand grasping his chest. His eyes widened in horror at the voice he heard in his mind – a voice he'd been hoping never to hear again.

"_Kohaku ..." _Naraku's dark whisper spread through his body like poison, and the sacred jewel shard embedded between his shoulder blades pulsed again. The shard that had almost inadvertently been purified by Kagome's proximity in the time he'd been with them darkened once again. Kohaku could feel it in his blood – Naraku's evil, like a miasma in itself, was seeping into his flesh from the shard.

Kohaku shook, wanting so badly to scream for his sister but the demon had his claws in his mind once again. _No! Stay out of my head!_ he cried silently.

There was a rumble of vicious laughter before Naraku tightened his hold even more. "_Its time for you to be useful to me once again, Kohaku. Blacken the shard with your despair and your sister's pain and hatred – you know how delicious those feelings are to me." _

_No! I won't-_

A crack of pain curved his back, as Kohaku felt his free will being ripped from him again. The boy breathed hard for a long moment before he straightened, and stepped forward after his sister who was now kneeling at a villager's side. Naraku had taken away his control, but he hadn't removed his memory. Kohaku knew who Sango was to him, and he knew what evils Naraku had made him do in the past. The demon _wanted_ him to know what exactly he was about to do.

_No! No! Stop! I don't want to do this! Please stop!_ But his body wasn't his own. He had no control over his own limbs – that control belonged to Naraku.

Kohaku walked forward with slow steps until he was standing behind his sister. His hand moved surreptitiously towards his blade.

Sango turned her head, looking up at him. "Do you have any more of that medicinal salve, Kohaku?" The child she was helping gave a small cry, and she gave her brother a brief reassuring smile before turning back to look at her patient.

At that moment, Kohaku pulled his blade free, and had it raised and ready to fall in a fatal swipe when Miroku shouted a warning.

The monk had felt something in their surroundings change – a darkening of an aura, and the evil spirits drawing nearer in vicious excitement. He'd turned to see Kohaku raising his weapon behind Sango's back, ready to strike her down.

"_SANGO!_" his heart seemed to stop, and he leapt forward as the blade started to swing down, even though he knew he would be too late to stop the unfolding tragedy.

In slow motion, Sango turned around and looked up into her brother's eyes while the blade swung down towards her. It seemed like that moment lasted an eternity:

Kouga, turning around in surprise and knowing that his weariness prevented him from moving fast enough to stop the boy.

Kirara, roaring in anguish for the two humans she loved most of all.

Miroku, trying in desperation to reach the woman he loved before she died at the hands of her own beloved brother.

Sango, seeing the tears running down her brother's cheeks as his body moved against his will and he helplessly watched.

And Kohaku. Realising that his sister's eyes didn't hold any blame, any hatred. Realising that there was only understanding, and love. Unconditional, indescribable.

And just as suddenly, time sped up. The blade sliced through the air, and made a sickening sound as it pierced flesh and bone. Blood sprayed outwards, a crimson flash in the dark clearing.

Sango caught her brother as he fell, bleeding from where he had thrust his own weapon through his chest and curving up through his body to the shard that lay between his shoulder blades, dislodging it and so his last link to life. He'd fought off Naraku's control long enough to change the direction of the blade. He'd taken his own life, rather than kill his sister.

_I'm ... glad. Sango, I'm glad. I want you to live. Please ... forgive me._

Kohaku's last breath was a gasping sigh, as he managed a small smile for Sango before his eyes closed for the last time. The jewel shard flew across the clearing, caught by one of Naraku's poisonous wasps and taken swiftly away before it could fall to the blood-soaked ground.

Sango stared down at her brother, lying dead in her arms with a peaceful smile on his face. She stared, stared for a long time, silent even when her tears fell to splash against his pale skin. She was silent even when Miroku knelt beside her, resisting only a little when he took Kohaku's body from her. It was only when the monk enfolded her in his arms that the tears really came, and the clearing was permeated with the sound of her sobs and the feeling of her grief.

"Sango ..." Miroku murmured her name, holding her close. He didn't say any words of comfort – he couldn't. There were some things, some feelings, that no words could express. But Sango knew that as well as he.

"I knew ..." she choked on the words. "I knew he was going to die, but still ... it still hurts _so much_ ..."

Kirara leaned her head against her mistress, offering her comfort as well. If the cat could have cried, maybe she would have as well.

As suddenly as the incident had occurred, Sango shook off Miroku's arms and stood. Her expression was grim, her eyes still red, but she was determined to hold herself together. _Later. You can cry for him later. Now ... avenge him. _

"Let's get going." she bit the words out. The slayer bent to pick up Kohaku's body, cradling him against her chest carefully but otherwise showing no emotion. "The sooner we get these people to the other side of the barrier, the sooner we can go after Naraku."

Miroku watched her sadly, but followed her lead. _She will have to feel this grief later, and will probably pay for delaying it so, but she's right. We have no time._ He bent to pick up two of the weaker children, and Kirara and Kouga as well helped those who needed it. The group headed towards the nearest edge to the forest – as long as the people were outside the nearest edge of the barrier, they would be safe to continue to the village alone.

_And then we can head for our real goal ... Naraku._

_He has much to answer for._

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

The black jewel shard dropped into his outstretched hand, and Naraku closed his claws around it, pausing a moment to savour the dark emotions it held. Not quite the ending he'd desired, but effective nonetheless.

"So you had enough will left to defy me, did you Kohaku? Well. I'll make sure your dear sister pays for that disobedience." His lips curved into a wicked smile as he watched Sango's stony expression through Kanna's mirror. With a glance from him, Kanna had shifted the image to Inuyasha and Kikyo.

"Those two tragic lovers ... So poetic, don't you think Kanna? Perhaps I should ensure that they get their appropriate ending." Kanna changed the image again, this time to show Kagome walking beside Sesshomaru. It was obvious even from this small picture that Kagome was not well. Naraku raised an eyebrow, leaning in to get a closer look. The void girl complied, zooming in on the miko's pale face.

"Interesting ... But don't be concerned, Kagome. I'll get to you and your demon protector soon enough. We'll see how deep that bond of yours goes ..."

Naraku smirked, tightening his fist around the jewel shard and the rest of the jewel. He relished the feeling that came with the shard being joined to its larger, darker whole.

Just two shards left ... and then his wish would be fulfilled.

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A/N: Thanks for the reviews all. Just a warning: this fic is going to get more angst-filled in the upcoming chapters. No happy ending just yet! More of our favourite couple in the next chap which will hopefully also be a bit longer. Thanks again – hope you all are having a good week :) Cheers!


	18. Ch18: Grief

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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**Chapter 18**

**Grief**

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The forest got darker the deeper they progressed – the closer they got to Naraku and the black jewel. Kagome couldn't prevent her thoughts from dwelling on her friends. Had Kouga, Sango, Kohaku and Miroku rescued the villagers? Was Kaede alive? Had Inuyasha caught up to Kikyo? Was the miko trying to kill him?

Was Naraku watching them through that mirror of his?

The miko glanced up at Sesshomaru through the corner of her eyes, wondering what he was thinking about. Was he dwelling over Naraku's destruction? Rin's safety? Her own frailty?

_What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

It was then that the sensation hit her – the unmistakable feeling of a jewel shard being corrupted by grief and pain and then moments later being joined to the larger, darker whole. It hit her in the gut, spreading the darkness with each thick, throbbing beat of her heart.

Sesshomaru caught her just before her knees touched the ground, holding her in his lap. The concern in his eyes was clear, even though his expression stayed impassive. Kagome's eyes widened as the implication of what she'd felt hit her. The miko shut her eyes tightly, taking deep breaths as she tried to hold off the tightening feeling in her chest.

"Oh, god, please no ... Oh, Sango ..." She wanted to cry for her friend, and for Kohaku. But there was no time for tears.

Sesshomaru pressed his cheek against her hair, offering wordless comfort. He had realised what must have happened when she'd said the slayer's name. It was an inevitable tragedy. There was no way the boy would not have been targeted by Naraku. He was their weakest link, and the Tenseiga didn't have the power to revive him. Kohaku had already been given a second chance, even though it had been a cruel one.

"Sesshomaru ... I feel so cold," Kagome whispered as she shivered in his arms. Something was happening, gaining momentum. It was more than the proximity of the so-nearly-completed corrupt jewel. A part of her soul felt cold and dark, aching inside of her and amplified by the corrupted jewel.

"What is it, Kagome?" The inuyoukai could sense the darkening of her aura, but he didn't understand it. "What is wrong?"

Kagome shuddered as the feeling swept over her again. It was the sensation of approaching tragedy – _but there has been so much of it already ... please, no more!_ – and she hoped she wasn't right about its source. But she _was_ right.

_Kikyo, don't do it._ There was a portion of Kikyo's soul inside her – separate from the small, bitter piece that remained in its clay flesh, but not so separate that she couldn't feel the hatred and despair that the other miko was feeling. Perhaps it was the Shikon that was causing her to feel Kikyo's torment in this way, because it hadn't happened before.

But feeling the other miko's rage and hopeless anguish echo through her soul only heightened her anxiety over the friend she'd been worrying so much for already. Inuyasha was at the hands of his twisted love, and Sango had just lost her brother.

So Kagome prayed to a nameless deity, and pushed herself onwards.

_Please! Please protect them!_

It was the only thing she could do. The others were on their own now, and so was she.

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"_Don't you understand?" Kikyo asked him, her voice almost pleading. "Hatred is all I have left ..." She released the arrow, and Inuyasha only barely dodged its path. Kikyo had another arrow strung before he could blink, and it was only his instinctive sideways dive that let him prevent the shaft from piercing his heart._

"_Dammit, Kikyo!" he shouted, drawing his sword. "Stop! You're just playing into Naraku's hands!"_

_Kikyo gave a short, mocking laugh. If Inuyasha had had Kagome or even Miroku with him, they would have been able to tell him that there was something wrong with Kikyo – that a darkness permeated her aura. Whether it was the darkness of her own angry soul or the proximity of the majority of the tainted jewel that was the cause, neither would have been able to say. Whatever the reason, the priestess's rage couldn't be calmed by words._

"_I told you," she sneered, "That creature has nothing to do with this. My soul cannot move on. The hatred I felt for you when I died will never let me go. I won't let you leave here alive!"_

Inuyasha sidestepped her shot, and in an eye-blink he was holding her. The hanyou met Kikyo's eyes, before closing his own and enfolding her tightly within his arms.

"Then do it," he said softly.

"What?"

Inuyasha tightened his hold on her, drawing in her scent and the feeling of having her so close. It was a lover's embrace, and he spoke with a lover's anguish. "Kill me, Kikyo. If it would give you peace, then do it. My life means nothing if you are in pain."

"What about ... Kagome?" Kikyo asked him, her eyes shadowed.

The hanyou shook his head. "I care for her, but she doesn't mean the same to me as you do. Kikyo, I ...

"I love you."

Their world seemed to freeze then, the words he had never before said outright hanging in the air around and between them like a living thing. A tear fell like a single crystal from the miko's cheek.

"Oh, Inuyasha," Kikyo sobbed quietly, "Inuyasha, I loved you too ..."

A flash of purification power burned in between them, blasting the hanyou back from her. Tears ran down Kikyo's cheeks as she backed away from him.

"Stay away from me, Inuyasha!" the undead miko ordered him with a broken voice. "If you come near me, I'll kill you ... I won't be able to stop myself."

"Kikyo, don't-"

"No!" she stopped him with a sharp word, drawing herself up. Her voice steadied as she regained her composure. "There is nothing you can do for me, Inuyasha, except stay far away."

It was at that instant that everything changed for Inuyasha. A sound alerted him to the danger too late.

"_KIKYO!!_"

But calling her name couldn't stop Naraku stabbing through the heart of the one he loved.

Kikyo gasped, leaning back against her murderer. Naraku smiled down at her, and the sight of his arm impaling her undead flesh.

"My, my," the demon murmured, amused, "Kikyo, you disappoint me. It seems there were some unwanted feelings for this hanyou still left in your tormented soul. What a pity you couldn't finish what I expected from you."

Naraku stepped back, letting his arm slide out of her body. Inuyasha leapt forward to catch her before she fell. The hanyou cradled her in his arms tenderly and whispered her name in utter anguish.

"Kikyo ..."

"Ahh ..." Naraku's eyes fluttered closed for a moment as his lips curved into a cruel smile. "What a delicious emotion, Inuyasha ... Such despair." He moved away, but Inuyasha had eyes only for Kikyo. "I expect to see you when you've finished your goodbyes." The demon disappeared into the darkness, leaving the two alone.

"No," Inuyasha shook his head in denial, "No, Kikyo, please ... Don't leave me!"

"Inu ..." Kikyo breathed, her reaching hand barely brushing Inuyasha's cheek before falling to her side. The light in her eyes went out – leaving blank orbs that stared into his soul, watching it break.

The darkness closed in on the two broken things at its centre, and paused only to let a shining orb leave the body of clay and bones to return to its owner.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

Kagome and Sesshomaru had just reached the sacred well when the fragment of Kikyo's soul found them. The youkai saw it coming, but could do nothing to help his miko except hold her steady when the glowing orb sank into her skin.

Kagome's slender frame curved in torment as the returned fragment fused with its larger whole. It filled an empty space inside of her, but brought with it all of Kikyo's dying anguish. In that moment, Kagome knew exactly what had befallen the dead miko. Her heart ached at the love and pain Kikyo and Inuyasha had felt, the two star-crossed lovers. In a way it was _her_ memory, and in another it was clearly not. Still, she felt Kikyo's death-pains all too vividly.

"Kikyo's soul doesn't sit too well, does it Kagome? That miko was far too corrupt by the time she'd finally reached the end of her borrowed time. Still. You should be grateful that I returned that piece to you," From those last words, she knew his lips would be curved in a mocking smile. She could hear it in his voice – his vicious amusement, and the way he savoured the suffering all around him.

"Naraku."

The hanyou's smile widened at the hate poured into that one word. He turned to the source, taking in the red-edged eyes of his opponent.

"Why, Sesshomaru. If I didn't know you better, I would say that you let some _emotion_ slip in to that. On the other hand, perhaps it is the influence this little miko has been having on you." The demon laughed, gesturing crudely as he continued. "We both know how _talented_ she is, after all."

The Taiyoukai snarled, laying Kagome down behind him as he started to lose his grasp on his human form. The beast started to snap its chains. It would not have its woman insulted. Not by anyone, but _especially_ not by this _shit-sucking mother-fucking asshole_!

Naraku took that moment to enshroud himself in his shield, and made a quick sign.

Demons fell from the sky in their thousands. Writhing and snapping, they launched themselves at Sesshomaru. The inuyoukai drew his sword, dispatching them swiftly and easily, but all the while made more furious by Naraku's distraction. And it _was_ a distraction. When they were all but decimated, one of the youkai threw a cloth bag towards them, and Sesshomaru moved quickly to take Kagome out of its path.

But the bag wasn't full of weapons. It was full of a fine powder that wafted into the air on impact, filling the clearing with yellow dust. Sesshomaru couldn't avoid the powder, and both of them breathed in the dust.

Kagome coughed harshly and moved a little away from the inuyoukai while she caught her breath, but other than that she felt nothing strange. She glared at her enemy although she could barely see him through the dust. She had just opened her mouth to ask him what the hell he thought he was doing when she was stopped by a low growl.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome stepped towards him, but the growl sounded again – louder this time and more vicious. She squinted through the yellow dust, but couldn't see his eyes.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Kagome," Naraku's voice reached her although she couldn't see him. "You can't tame wild animals."

Kagome ignored his taunts, and stepped closer to the inuyoukai. She ignored the growls as well, walking nearer until her vision was no longer hindered by the dust. Her breath caught in her chest as she gasped sharply, finally understanding Naraku's plan.

Sesshomaru stood before her, his eyes red as blood and markings jagged and pronounced on his skin. His claws dripped their acid poison as he snarled at her. The mask of humanity was gone, stripping him of his usual sleek composure and exposing the animal underneath. His body kept shifting as he hovered, a breath away from transforming into his huge, _real_ shape.

_The human form is just a mask ... I knew that, but ..._ Seeing him like this touched something deep inside her – some instinct that screamed _predator_ at him, and _prey_ at her.

"He's not quite what he seems, is he Kagome?" the voice carried across the clearing, but the demon was still keeping his distance.

"You've done this," Kagome replied, not letting her eyes leave the youkai. Sesshomaru was staring right back at her, with no visible sanity in his eyes. "You've taken away his control."

Naraku laughed, and although Sesshomaru's eyes flicked in the direction of the sound they locked back on her. For the life of her, Kagome couldn't read his expression. "Some special powdered herb and the proximity of this jewel was all it took. I've just stripped away the pretences, Kagome – the lies. _This_ is the _real_ Sesshomaru – not the pretty lord he is so fond of showing you. What could you possibly mean to him? What could _you_ possibly mean to this true side of him?" He left a long, pregnant pause to let the barbed words sink in. "Because, to a youkai like _him_, you're just _prey_."

As if those words were the whip he was waiting for, Sesshomaru lunged forwards at her.

Kagome's heart hammered in her chest as all the breath was forced out of her when Sesshomaru slammed her against a tree. It was almost hard enough to break her ribs, and she thought she felt a few hairline fractures. It was hard to distinguish specific pains, after all. Her whole body hurt, ached, protested loudly.

It was even harder to look into those crimson and black eyes, absent of any emotions she recognised other than fury, and try see Sesshomaru there. It was almost impossible to stay calm and not scream and struggle with those canines so close to her neck and his poison claws scalding her skin. Panic was in fact a breath away when Kagome realised with sudden crystal clarity that she was afraid, but not of _him_.

It was one of those life-changing moments, when you see the world in an entirely new light. But it wasn't the world that had changed – it was her view of it. So much became so clear, things that had been shrouded by her own confusion, her own reluctance to see and accept.

Kagome realised that the animal who held her wasn't some mad inner demon of Sesshomaru's. It _was_ Sesshomaru. And Sesshomaru would never hurt her.

The miko gave him a small smile, lifting her hand to smooth his hair behind his ear and trace the jagged markings on his cheek. Sesshomaru didn't fight her when she pulled him closer so that she could brush her lips against his neck. He relaxed, his grip on her loosening as he took in the smell and feel of her. She heard a small noise vibrate through his chest, and it felt to her like a kind of apology, or expression of shame as he ran his fingers soothingly over her burned skin.

"It's okay," she replied softly, "I'm okay."

"Kagome," Sesshomaru murmured her name, his voice still a little rough but as he pulled away his irises were again a clear gold. He stiffened suddenly, yanking her aside swiftly to dodge the huge spear that shattered the bark of the tree they'd been leaning against.

"How _touching_," Naraku spat from across the clearing, in the middle of which the well stood. "It appears you are just as much of a whore as that bitch, Kikyo." The hanyou was angry, the vicious emotion layering his words with poison. He was furious that his plan hadn't worked. He'd been waiting for Sesshomaru to rip into the miko, to kill her, and then he would have killed the inuyoukai while he was distracted by his remorse. He could then have resurrected the miko at his leisure – the jewel was powerful enough to accomplish that. Resurrecting a miko with a corrupt sacred jewel – he'd been looking forward to the possible results of such an experiment.

But _no_! That stupid girl just had to have both of the inu brothers so wrapped around her finger that even their base natures wouldn't harm her. It was _disgusting_. But he was Naraku, and of course he always had a back-up plan.

Hence the huge Hell-demon standing next to him, drooling acidic saliva and holding an enormous spear in one hand. The demon opened his other hand, and what looked like a long sharp piece of _bone _was pushed out of his flesh into his palm to form another spear.

Kagome gagged. It was just too gross ... as if the acid saliva wasn't enough, they were faced with a demon that used its own bones to make its weapons. It almost made her forget what Naraku had said.

_Almost_.

"The only _bitch_ here is _you_, you fucking bastard!" Kagome snapped at the hanyou, drawing her bow and shooting an arrow aimed straight at his heart. But her arrow was smacked out of the air like a twig by the creature standing beside Naraku.

The demon's red and sickly green eyes locked on her, and it bared its teeth in a facsimile of a smile. It started to lumber towards her, but it wasn't going to get very far without opposition.

Sesshomaru drew his sword, and moved to stand in front of the miko. There was a grim anticipation in his eyes. He had never felt so much like _killing something_. The dust had cleared from the air, but he still felt his baser instincts urging him to obliterate the threats to him and then take the girl and _make her his_. It wasn't that simple, of course. He could smell her blood and singed skin. He'd done that with his own hand – scarred her when he lost control. What more would happen to her if he allowed this to continue?

Another arrow flew through the air, shining with her purification powers as it hit the Hell beast. But the wood shattered into splinters on impact, and the creature didn't even flinch. In fact, it seemed to focus on Kagome with hungry eyes. Sesshomaru's blood ran cold.

"Kagome, don't shoot at it. Stay away." he ordered her sharply. He should have realised by now that his miko didn't like orders.

"Why? I want to help!" Kagome argued, stung by his dismissal. She wasn't some helpless damsel! Naraku had _pissed her off _dammit, and now she wanted to purify something!

Sesshomaru snarled as he saw the beast draw back its arm. He leapt for Kagome, turning his dive into a roll as he flung them both out of the way of the huge spear that pierced the air exactly where she'd been standing.

Kagome frowned as she watched it from her position on the grass underneath the youkai lord, seeing some kind of strange light surrounding the bone weapon as it passed.

"What was that?"

The inuyoukai pulled her back up, watching the demon warily. "Your arrows won't have any effect on that creature, except to entice it on. It feeds on the souls and powers of priestesses, Kagome. If that spear were to hit you, you'd be worse than dead."

"So do you understand the situation here at last?" Naraku asked them, smirking from behind his shield. "Your arrows and swords can't break my barrier, and if _you_, Kagome, come too close to this servant of mine, you will have your soul devoured. It appears we have only to wait until the final two shards arrive before bringing this delightful gathering to an end." He straightened, looking behind them suddenly. "Then again, perhaps we don't have to wait any longer ..."

Kagome and Sesshomaru turned as well, to see who was entering the clearing.

"You don't have to wait any longer, you asshole," came a low growl, "I'm ready to rip out your entrails right this fucking minute,"

Kouga stepped out of the tree-line, with one hand holding back a snarling Inuyasha. The hanyou seemed barely sane, his eyes edged with crimson. Only Tetsusaiga kept back his demonic nature.

Behind them came Sango, Miroku and Kirara. The demon slayer was icy with her suppressed rage and grief, but the pure, distilled hatred in her eyes as she looked at her enemy was clear.

Kagome felt her heart lift at the sight of her friends. With all of them there, they would surely defeat Naraku. It was only a matter of time until the bastard was dead ...

Naraku's lips widened in an anticipatory grin. "It took long enough for all of you to reach us. I thought I might have to send poor bereaved Inuyasha a guide." He raised his arms, and the ground shook ominously underneath them.

The earth split with a deep groan, and tentacles and demons poured out from the cracks in their thousands – hundreds of thousands.

And in amongst them all, stood Naraku protected by his barrier. The hanyou looked on all the chaos with satisfaction.

"Time for the real games to begin."

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

A/N: I feel like I might be dragging this on a bit, but I just don't want this fic to end. I know it may seem like I keep killing off people, but this fic isn't over yet so stay with me! :) I forgot to say a super-thank you to all of you last chapter. This is the second fic I've written, but its the first to reach over 100 reviews. I don't know what to say, except that it makes it worth writing. I've always tried not to beg for reviews, because I haven't always been good about finding time to write them myself and I'm happy just to have someone like my writing enough to read it. But, that said, they really do keep me going and make it all worthwhile. So this is to **you**! :)


	19. Ch19: The Wish

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

A/N: Here it is! The last full chapter (except for the epilogue which I'm chipping away at). Enjoy!

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

**Chapter 19**

**The Wish**

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

Can you see them all? Staring down Naraku and all his demons, with the great Hell-beast at his side. There stands the demon slayer, the woman who has lost her entire family to his evil except for the nekoyoukai at her side. Beside her is the monk, whose life was controlled for so long by the curse on his family that Naraku had placed. And the wolf prince, with the last two jewel shards in his legs, had had his heart changed by a beautiful miko, and his eyes opened by a wind witch he had thought of as an enemy.

There was Inuyasha, whose heart had been put back together by Kagome only to have it shatter with the death of Kikyo – his true love. It was almost more than his sanity could take, and only his father's fang kept his demonic nature from lashing out at friend and foe alike.

Sesshomaru held his sword ready as well. The Lord of the Western Lands, who had lost his own heart to the human who stood at his side.

The human miko, Kagome, who could feel her life slowly slipping away through her fingers.

Kagome gritted her teeth as her vision blurred, forcing the weakness away as she strung her bow and fired it, destroying a few of the oncoming demon horde with her purification powers.

With a roar, Inuyasha threw off Kouga's restraining hand and charged forward, looking past all the demons towards Naraku. The spider-hanyou watched him come from behind his barrier with a smile.

Inuyasha crashed through the swarm, his sword slicing through flesh and bone like butter. His fangs were bared in a crazed snarl, and Kouga chased after him to protect him from behind.

"_Hiraikotsu!_" Sango's bone weapon slashed through the sky, as beside her Kirara leapt on demons that tried to slip past her throws, and Miroku banished more with his sutras and staff.

Sesshomaru, meanwhile, was dealing with the Hell demon.

It was almost surreal, but Kagome lent her help where she could, keeping her bow strung and an arrow always ready. Her eyes darted from side to side, following the movements of all her friends. Sesshomaru's fight was by far the most thunderous. He moved so quickly, lashing at the beast from all sides with his sword, but the Hell demon was very powerful as well. Its skin seemed like it might be an armour of overlapping bone-like scales, and it was able to shrug off many of his hits. Every time one of them struck the earth, the ground shuddered at the force of their strength.

Kagome wiped the blood from her mouth when another coughing fit struck her, and demolished another youkai that had been threatening Sango with a well-aimed arrow. She could feel someone watching her, and glanced towards the stare.

It was Naraku. The hanyou was watching her hungrily from the other side of the battlefield, like the mere hint of weakness had attracted his attention more than all her power. Perhaps it was just the scent of her blood that had made him focus on her.

"Feeling alright, my dear Kagome?" She could see his lips move, and somehow she could hear his words as well. By the lack of reaction from the others, his speech was limited to her. The miko scowled at the poisonous wasps hovering around her – they had to have something to do with it.

"I'll feel fine when you're gone, Naraku," she spat derisively.

The demon gave a low, black velvet laugh. "Now, now, little miko. No need for such hostility. We'll have more than enough time together when your friends are dead."

Kagome responded with a humourless grin. "You're more stupid than I thought if you believe this demon trash could stop _us_." She emphasised her point by vaporising an entire wave of demons with her sacred arrow. The demon horde had significantly decreased, with no small thanks to Inuyasha's Wind Scar. Being able to take out thousands of demons at a time was a huge advantage.

Naraku laughed. "Dear Kagome," he smirked wickedly, "I don't need to stop you. I just need to distract you."

The miko froze, her eyes widening. She turned in what felt like slow motion towards the others, and screamed. But it was too late.

"_KOUGA!!_"

The wolf barely had time to lift his head, when he felt a gut-wrenching pain erupt from his legs. He went down with a cry and a spray of blood, not even having seen the demon that had sneaked up on him. While they'd been fighting, the demons had wormed their way under the ground. Kirara took into the air with a roar, Sango and Miroku on her back as the ground underneath their feet exploded.

Naraku's tentacles lashed out, picking the two shards that had been sliced from Kouga's legs out of the air.

"_Inuyasha!_" Kagome shouted, pointing to the shards. The hanyou swore viciously, leaping towards them but the remaining demons took that moment to swarm him. He couldn't kill them quickly enough, and Sesshomaru was still fighting the Hell beast.

And then, while the world seemed to freeze, the last two jewel shards fell into Naraku's waiting palm. The hanyou laid the rest of the jewel alongside them, and closed his fingers over the jewel. Kagome felt it in her heart and soul when the jewel merged into a complete sphere.

The miko fell to her knees, her powers bursting forth to surround her in a pink glow as if they were trying to protect her from the tainted jewel. It was that display of power that lured the Hell beast.

The demon moved impossibly fast. It lunged for her with a roar, and for a moment it seemed like it would devour her.

A flash of light, a shadow of motion, a spray of blood.

The beast roared, clutching its chest through which Sesshomaru had impaled his sword. The inuyoukai was standing between it and its prey, his entire strength having been needed to force his blade through the creature's bone scales. The strength he got from Kagome, the one he needed to protect.

Sesshomaru removed his sword with a sharp pull, and watched impassively as the Hell demon fell to the ground and dissolved into motes of dust.

Dark laughter drew his attention back to the real threat. Naraku held the complete Shikon in his fist, and black energy radiated from it in waves. The hanyou had his head thrown back, revelling in the feeling of so much energy – _such power!_

"_Naraku! You bastard!_" Inuyasha threw himself at the spider, but was blasted backwards with a huge amount of force by the power of the jewel. He went straight through four entire trees before stopping, and was left groaning amongst the splintered bark.

Before Sango or Miroku could take even one step towards him, Naraku blew them back as well with one swipe of his hand. They fell near to where Kouga lay, still and silent on the grass in a pool of his own blood.

"Finally!" Naraku shouted up at the dark sky. "_Finally I have it_! The Shikon is _mine_!" He pressed the jewel to his chest, absorbing it into himself. The hanyou closed his eyes, savouring the feeling of its darkness inside him. "And now for the wish ... _my wish_ ..."

The others froze, expecting the stars to fall out of the sky – expecting darkness to descend, and nightmares to roar out of the earth.

But nothing happened.

"What?!" Naraku snarled, his eyes snapping open to glare at the world in crimson fury. "What is this? Why won't it grant my _wish_?!" He threw a blast of energy at them, which was barely blocked by Sesshomaru.

"_The jewel is complete! I have all the shards_!" Naraku roared, darkness lashing all around him as he started to lose control.

But his anger was stilled by a small voice at his side.

"No. It is not complete. It is missing a soul." Kanna, the void girl, spoke softly from his side. She held her mirror in her hands, but her eyes weren't staring at her master. They were staring at someone else.

Naraku's crimson eyes widened as understanding hit him. "Of course," he murmured. "I thought she had such a large soul because of Kikyo. But it was because her body hosts more than one spirit ..." His eyes fell on the miko who lay behind her inuyoukai protector. "Kagome ... or should I say, Midoriko?" His lips widened in a predatory grin.

Kagome felt all of her friends' shocked stares turn to her. Of course. It made sense, suddenly. The way the jewel had always affected her so, and why she could feel it when the shards became tainted. The reason why the jewel had been born inside her.

_She had a part of it within her – she had Midoriko's soul_.

That poor miko who had died fighting the youkai all alone. The miko whose heart and soul went into the making of the Shikon jewel, fated to forever battle the forces of darkness. Midoriko, whose beautiful and tragic figure Kagome had seen inside that cave a lifetime ago. Kagome wasn't just the reincarnation of Kikyo – she was the reincarnation of Midoriko, as well.

"I had not intended to kill you myself, Kagome," Naraku's voice drew her thoughts back to the present dangerous situation she was in. "But it would be logical to think that, as Kikyo's soul returned to your body when she died, Midoriko's soul will return to the jewel when _you_ are dead." He sighed in mock-sadness. "It seems there is no other choice." The demon's red eyes locked on her own, and in there she could see all the darkness in the world.

"Kagome. Prepare to die."

"You will not touch her."

Sesshomaru tightened his grip on his sword, staring the hanyou down as he stood between him and Kagome.

"You've allowed yourself to fall so low, _Lord_ Sesshomaru ... to think that a little mortal girl has come to mean so much to you." Naraku's expression distorted with disgust. "It's _pathetic_. You will put yourself against the might of the sacred jewel, for _her_?"

The inuyoukai lifted his chin, ignoring the hanyou's taunts as he readied himself. It was just as well, because in the next moment Naraku's body erupted with tentacles covered in spines and teeth that lashed out towards him through the barrier protecting Naraku himself.

Sesshomaru's blade moved like lightning, decapitating limb after limb, but they regenerated as soon as they were cut. Tokijin, Sesshomaru's damned sword, let out a painful shriek and started glowing with a venomous green light. The corrupt jewel was activating it, sending its evil power out of control. The inuyoukai hissed, but otherwise ignored the way the hilt was searing his skin. He forced his will on it, but couldn't afford to focus too much of his attention on his wayward blade.

And then Tetsusaiga landed in the ground at his side.

Sesshomaru glanced towards his brother. Inuyasha was clutching his abdomen and being supported by the monk and slayer. From the amount of blood on his robe, his wound was incapacitating. The hanyou gave his brother a solemn nod, and Sesshomaru sheathed Tokijin. Confident in his belief that the blade wouldn't reject him now that he desired to protect a mortal, he took up his father's fang.

Tetsusaiga glowed as his will and the blade's own power whirled around it, and then Sesshomaru swung the sword.

Power erupted from the old dog's fang, wielded by his powerful son. The demons and Naraku's appendages were vaporised, the golden attack surrounding his barrier and blocking it from sight.

Kagome squinted, trying to see whether the blow had cracked the bastard's shield. As the light died, her heart froze when she saw that the attack had failed. Naraku stood, still safe behind his barrier. Though the demon looked highly pissed off.

"I'm tired of your interference, Sesshomaru," Naraku spat, his power and that of the jewel rising up to radiate from him in vicious waves.

Kagome could sense the immense power that Naraku was gathering for his counter attack, and even though she trusted in Sesshomaru's abilities, she was afraid. The hanyou had the might of the jewel to aid him, and even if Sesshomaru could protect himself there was no way that Miroku, Sango, Kouga or Inuyasha could move to dodge the blast, let alone survive it head on. None of them were going to get through his barrier by force.

There was only one option.

The miko pulled herself up, panting harshly as her body punished her for her abuse with sharp, agonising pains. She jogged forward, as if she were heading to stand closer to Sesshomaru for protection, and prayed that Naraku would react as she expected.

And he did.

Another of Naraku's appendages lashed out impossibly fast across the distance between them, and wrapped itself around her waist. Kagome couldn't hold back a cry from the pain of the movement as the hanyou reeled her in towards his barrier. Sesshomaru lunged after her and she could only manage a moment's glance to warn him off with her eyes. Naraku launched another attack to keep him back, but Kagome couldn't tell if he was allowing himself to be delayed because he got her message, or if he was really battling. Naraku was so much more powerful now ...

And soon Kagome was exactly where she wanted to be – inside Naraku's barrier.

"So good of you to join me, Kagome," the monster leered down at her as he pulled her closer, so that she was pressed against him and her arms were pinned to her sides. "You didn't think that dog would be able to protect you from me, did you?" Naraku leaned down, enjoying the way she strained to move away from him as he whispered in her ear. "You don't know his kind like I do, Kagome. He would only have killed you in the end, when he lost control. You're so innocent, so _naïve_. I would have enjoyed teaching you, taking you. Perhaps I will revive you once my wish is made." His eyes brightened at the thought with a cruel, sadistic light. "What do you think it would do to your soul, being revived by a corrupt jewel?"

Kagome glared up at him, straight into those red eyes with all their darkness lurking beneath. "I _see_ you, Naraku," she scanned his face, the handsome mask. "I see what you _really _are. Sesshomaru isn't the one who is hiding behind a mask – _you_ are." She leaned in, pouring all the venom into her words that she could. "You are just a scarred, murderous excuse for a human and a mess of pathetic demons too worthless and weak to survive without feeding like a parasite on a mortal shell. You will never find peace, or victory. You will die alone, worthless, and condemned to the deepest of Hells for all eternity."

Naraku snarled, and hit her hard across the face. Kagome fell to her knees in front of him, choking and coughing up blood. Through a haze of pain, she heard her friends and Sesshomaru call out her name but all she was conscious of was Naraku, pulling her up by her hair.

"You will pay for that, bitch," he growled.

Kagome looked up at him through slitted eyes, and smiled. "No. You will." And she thrust her hand, freed after he'd hit her and surrounded by an intense glow of her pure powers, directly into his chest.

The demon roared, and lashed out at her but Kagome felt nothing except for a sharp impact. Her eyes were closed as her fingers tightened around the jewel in Naraku's body, but the light that burst forth was visible even through her eyelids. It seemed to fill her up from the inside, and take everything else away. Kagome opened her eyes, and the world disappeared ...

...o..o.o..o...

"_Where am I?" the miko looked around her, but there was nothing. Just a blank, white nothing. Looking down, she saw herself as she hadn't been for a long time – wearing a clean, neat set of her school clothes. She must have grown a bit taller in the last few months – her skirt was getting awfully short. She'd have to ask her mother ..._

"_Is anyone there?" Kagome called, knowing that so many things weren't right. She got such an awful feeling thinking about her mother and family, as if she'd never see them again._

"_Yes." _

_Kagome whirled around to face the source of the voice, and was only a little surprised to see Kikyo. The other miko was her usual, solemn self. "Kikyo? Where are we? What's going on?"_

"_We are in your mind, and also within the sacred jewel." Another voice answered her, and the speaker walked forward out of the white nothing to stand next to Kikyo. A opalescent glow surrounded this new person, enhancing her beauty and sense of otherworldliness. _

_Kagome frowned at her, until she placed her face. "You are Midoriko, aren't you? Why are you here?" _

"_We are here because you have taken possession of the sacred jewel, Kagome, and also because we are a part of you," Midoriko answered._

"_And you have a wish to make." Kikyo added impassively. _

"_Wish?" Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. "I have to make it? I'd always thought Inuyasha would be the one to ..." Her voice trailed off as mention of the hanyou made her remember seeing him blasted backwards by Naraku. And then she remembered everything. Everyone._

"_What about Naraku?" she asked, "And the others? Are they alright?"_

_Midoriko met her eyes, and spoke softly. "Some are. The monk and taijiya will live. As will the two brothers, although Inuyasha may not walk for some time. The wolf ... I'm sorry, Kagome. And I cannot speak for the state of their hearts."_

"_But you must make the wish, Kagome," Kikyo interrupted, her voice firm. "Otherwise Naraku will instead. He is not yet dead."_

_Kagome closed her eyes, taking a deep shuddering breath before opening them again. "If I make the wish, you will disappear with it, won't you?" she asked Midoriko._

_The miko nodded. "Yes. I will at last find peace, and pass on to the afterlife. The jewel will be no more ... if the wish is pure. If it is not, then Naraku will make his own wish, and you will die. If it is pure, the power from it will destroy him forever. It will also save your life, Kagome. You are dying."_

"_I know I am. But ... how will I know if it is a pure wish?"_

_Both priestesses shook their heads. "You won't, until it is too late." Kikyo told her._

"_Fine." The girl from the future sighed. "Nothing is ever easy is it?" she muttered under her breath. Things were simpler in that white world, and her thoughts seemed clearer. The truth was more apparent to her at that moment than it had ever been before._

_She had hoped, when Naraku captured her, that she would be able to use the last moments of her fading life to kill him. But now they were telling her that making a pure wish would not only destroy him – it would save her._

_Making a wish that decided everything, a wish upon which lives balanced so precariously, should have been the hardest thing she ever did. But it wasn't. In that frozen moment, in the security of her own mind, Kagome could only make the wish that it was in her to make. The wish that was a reflection of her love, her hope, and her purity._

"_This jewel should never have returned to this world, and that makes everything evil that happened because of it wrong. So this is what I wish for:_

"_That the world as it was before the jewel returned to it when I did will be restored. That all those lives affected by it will be replenished, or at least given peace. That those who have lost loved ones will have them returned."_

_Kagome stared straight into Kikyo's eyes as she spoke the next words._

"_That includes Sango, Shippo, and Inuyasha. I wish that Kikyo-"_

"_Stop!" Kikyo tried to interrupt her. "If you wish for my life to be restored, then my soul will no longer be in your body! And without Midoriko's soul as well, you will-"_

_But Kagome's heart wouldn't let her consider the other miko's words. She gave her a small smile, and continued to speak. "I wish that Kikyo, who had lost her life so tragically and unfairly because of the jewel, would have it given back to her as well. That all should be as it was ... even if it means that I was never here. Even if it means that they won't remember me. _

"_Because I will always remember them."_

_Kagome continued to smile as the light around her shone brighter. She smiled as the other two spirits disappeared in the glow, and she continued to smile as the tears fell down her cheeks. She felt pieces of her soul being pulled away. Midoriko would leave with the jewel, if the wish was pure. And Kikyo would return to her proper life. Those two souls that kept her living were departing, but it didn't matter. Her friends would live. They would live, and be happy. _

_What else, even her own life, could mean more than that?_

"_**Thank you, Kagome. Thank you for your pure wish. Now we can be at peace."** It was more than Midoriko's voice – it was the voice of the jewel, of Midoriko and all the youkai that had been battling for all those years in constant torment. _

"_**And we wish you peace as well."**_

...o..o.o..o...

There was pain – so much pain, too much. It was more than anyone could possibly bear. It was the kind of pain you could only run from, but something was pulling her onwards, towards it. She cried out, struggled, tried to turn away. She pulled back so hard that it almost lost its grip on her, almost set her free, but then it took hold of her again and yanked her back.

Suddenly she was back in the world – the living, breathing, painful world. There was so much light and colour and noise, and an agonising pain in her chest. But she was aware of more than the pain.

Kagome opened her eyes, and looked straight up into Sesshomaru's.

They stared at each other for a long moment, and then she frowned. "You look terrible," she whispered, coughing a little.

The youkai was pale, and looked even more tense than usual. But when she spoke, something in his expression softened. "As do you," he replied, running his fingers gently across her cheek.

Kagome shifted, and gave a moan of pain at the response from her abused body. She looked down, and was somewhat surprised to see that she was covered in blood.

"Don't move," the inuyoukai ordered, shifting so that he supported her better in his arms.

_Hang on ...!_

Kagome started, staring up at him in shock. Her eyes darted from his right hand, which was supporting her shoulder, to his left hand, which was supporting her waist.

"What the hell is _going on_ here?!" she demanded.

"It was your wish."

Kikyo walked into view, with Inuyasha at her side. The hanyou was watching Kagome with concern, but he kept glancing at the other miko like he was afraid she would disappear.

Kagome's eyes widened as she remembered her wish. "Why am I still alive? I thought-"

"You thought that you would die. You almost did, but not because of your wish." Kikyo indicated the blood on Kagome's chest. "A little parting gift from Naraku. He managed to impale you after you put your own hand into his chest."

"So what about my wish? My soul? Why am I still alive?"

Kikyo smiled – a rare sight. The older girl looked so much more beautiful when she smiled. Kagome realised then that Kikyo was different. She seemed lighter somehow – brighter, and more whole. She had her full soul back, but it was more than that. She was really _alive_. The wish had worked. But then ...

"The wish you made was pure because it was completely selfless. You would have died for your friends happily – willingly. But you are not a reincarnation, Kagome. You held my soul and Midoriko's inside you because the sacred jewel was within you, but you have a soul that is all your own. So wishing for a life for me, and freeing Midoriko, didn't mean your death. The pure wish freed you, and all of us. It destroyed Naraku and healed your wound and your illness, saving your life." Kikyo took Inuyasha's hand, and she looked at him lovingly. "Its all over."

"It is?" Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru questioningly.

He pulled her into an embrace, breathing in deeply. It had been so close. He could smell it – smell death on her. But that scent was already fading. Underneath it was _her_ fragrance – of spring, and the first rain. Completely healthy, and completely _her_.

"It is." he reassured her, running his hands over her soft skin.

By god, he was never going to let her go again.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

A/N: A happy ending! But not quite ... hence the upcoming epilogue. What will Kagome do? Will she go home? Will she stay? Will they _finally_ 'hook up'? Stay tuned ... :) I hope it all made sense and I'll try get the epilogue out soon (i.e. within a week or so), but things are a bit hectic at the moment so I hope you all understand. Deadlines, how I hate them. Thanks for reading and reviewing! You guys are awesome :)


	20. Ch20: Epilogue

A/N: I'll say my goodbyes and thanks up here rather than spoiling the end :) Thank you so much to everyone who's stuck with me all this time. I hope I haven't disappointed you at any point, and I hope you enjoyed reading this fic as much as I did writing it. Thanks for the reviews, and the encouragement. I would never have attempted a second story if it wasn't for the support I got for my first one, or for the constant requests for an update. This won't be the last you hear from me but I will be taking a break for a while, or at least until I get another crackpot idea!

Take care, good luck in everything you do, and all the best from this little corner of the globe :)

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

**Chapter 20**

**Epilogue**

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

The wind blew soft and warm, with the rich scents of summer even that early in the day. A young woman sat on the edge of an old worn well, absently tapping her heel against the wood as she hummed to herself. The song she sang was different, as were many things about her. Some indefinable quality marked her as being from another world.

His heart ached at the sight of her, because he could see the sadness in her eyes that she hid so well from everyone else.

He walked up to her, and lowered himself down gracefully so that he was sitting on the ground and leaning his back against the wall of the well beside her. The inuyoukai rested his arm on his knee, and made no protest when the girl twirled a lock of his hair in her fingers.

The distant sounds of happy children shrieking and laughing reached them on the wind.

"I don't know what to do." Kagome murmured softly. The miko watched the wisps of clouds floating past, but was really seeing something else entirely.

"You miss them." Sesshomaru stated.

"Yes."

He could hear the longing in her voice. It reminded him of how young she really was – just a child, missing her mother.

"Kikyo said I can choose. She said that I would be allowed to travel to my time, and then I would have until midnight of that day to come back here before the well sealed. But then that would be the last time, and there would be no going back.

"How can I leave ... anyone?" Her voice broke with the emotion she was holding inside.

Sesshomaru turned to look up at her, and his eyes saw right through her. "Your friends have had their families and lives restored to them. You have ensured their happiness. This decision is not about _them_. It is about _you_." Just meeting his stare like that made her start to burn up from the inside. "What do _you _want, Kagome?"

Right then and there she just wanted to throw herself at him. He'd been keeping her at arm's length since she'd made the wish. At first she'd thought it was because she was still recovering from her near-fatal wound that the jewel hadn't completely healed. He'd still stayed by her. But now she wasn't sure.

Was he asking her to decide if she wanted to stay for _him_? Was he giving her space to make her own decision rather than pressuring her into it with pleasures?

How could she decide when she didn't know what she wanted?

The inuyoukai stood in a swift motion of moving silk. He held out his hand, and Kagome took it without thinking. Sesshomaru pulled her up, and for a second she thought he was going to kiss her. The heat was in his eyes, and they were achingly close. He leaned down until their lips were a breath apart.

"Go home."

And then he was gone. Tears gathered in her eyes, as she sat back down on the edge of the well. Didn't he want her? But she could see that he did. Why then? Why was he pushing her away?

How could she say goodbye?

Kagome kicked the wood with her heel, and listened to the distant laughter. She imaged walking there, and saying goodbye. She imaged the tears, and Shippo clinging to her before his real parents consoled him with their love. He didn't need her any more, not like the mother she used to be to him. Inuyasha didn't need her either. He would marry Kikyo, and Sango had already accepted Miroku's proposal. Kouga was alive and well and was, interestingly, spending a lot of time with Kagura who was the only one of Naraku's offspring to survive. Their lives were complete, and happy.

But Sesshomaru was right. This was about her _own_ happiness. Would making them miserable by saying goodbye make her happy, when she truly hadn't decided if it was for the last time?

The miko raised her chin, feeling the soft rays of the sun as it slowly rose higher in the sky play across her skin. It was still very early. Early enough.

She leaned backwards, tilting back over the hole of the well and holding herself on the edge with her hands. Kagome watched the wisps of clouds high, high up in the sky. It was so blue. So beautiful.

She let go, and closed her eyes as she fell into the sacred well so she wouldn't have to watch that other world disappear. And the magic gripped her gently, for what was maybe the last time.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.

In another part of Inuyasha's forest, Sesshomaru felt her scent fade from his world. He felt it, like he had never felt anything before. This small, insignificant mortal girl had made him understand everything his father had ever done, or said. All those years of hating his sire, of resenting him for forsaking his own life and son for a human woman, fell away in a moment. Sesshomaru, the powerful inuyoukai with the icy heart, felt those barriers around himself fade away. He knew, now, what it meant to care for someone, to protect them above all.

And he knew the pain that came with giving up everything he wanted, so that the person he cared for could be free.

There was nothing he wanted more than to have stopped Kagome from going. Once he'd realised how he felt about her, he had wanted to make her his own. But she would never have been happy with him. She couldn't have been. He would never have been able to give her the care-free, safe live she deserved. With him she would always be in danger. She would always be judged, by human and youkai alike.

The human who gave herself to a demon.

The _miko_ who gave herself to a demon.

But now there was no chance of that. She'd gone home, and he believed that she wouldn't return. Why would she? She belonged in her own time.

"Lord Sesshomaru?"

A little voice interrupted his brooding. Rin stood a few metres away, her hands behind her back as she watched him shyly. The girl wriggled even though she didn't move her feet. Even when she tried to be serious, she couldn't stay still.

He nodded to her, acknowledging her presence. "Yes, Rin?"

"I picked some flowers for you, but Master Jaken said you wouldn't want them. I thought he was being silly, so I brought them anyway!"

The young girl offered him the bouquet, an endearing smile on her lips.

Sesshomaru took them from her, watching her expression. "Where are your family, Rin?"

The girl giggled. "My Ma is helping priestess Kaede with the herbs, Pa is helping with the fields, and my brother is playing with Shippo." She leaned in, lowering her voice to a tone more appropriate for conspiracies. "We're planning a fun game for Master Jaken!"

The youkai looked her over, keeping his face expressionless. He'd had a lot of practise where his former ward was concerned. "Does it involve an amount of mud?"

Rin nodded, her giggles returning with force.

Sesshomaru listened to a distant call. "Your brother is calling for you, Rin."

She nodded, and waved to him before racing off. He watched her go, and marvelled again over the change in her. Her speech had corrected itself directly after her family were returned to her. That had been an amazing reunion, but only one of many. The fox kit had his parents returned, and even the slayer had her brother and entire village brought back to the living. In a way it was bizarre. It was as if the world had returned to how it was, except for a few changes, and the jewel had never existed.

But they all remembered what had happened. They remembered every loss and every fight that had brought them to this end, that was in a way the beginning. The world had come full circle.

Why was that not enough?

Night fell while he stayed lost in his thoughts. Sesshomaru had lived a long time, and so time didn't have the same meaning to him. But this time, he felt every moment as it became the past. The future, turning into the present, and becoming the past. Midnight approaching, nearing, passing. It was over.

And then soft arms encircled his waist from behind. Not daring to think, Sesshomaru turned around to see her. Kagome looked up at him with her luminous eyes and mischievous smile. "Did you miss me?"

Sesshomaru picked her up in one swift motion, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as she fell into the kiss she'd been waiting for for so long. It was more full of passion, heat, love and tenderness than any kiss she could ever have imagined and she threw herself into it whole-heartedly.

His claws raking over her skin made her whimper, and that pleading sound caused him to shudder in response.

Kagome tugged at his clothes, making frustrated noises until he complied with his little minx and helped her free his arms from his sleeves. Instantly he was rewarded with her hands sliding all over his skin, tracing smooth lines of muscle. She teased and wriggled until he almost couldn't take any more. Sesshomaru let her go long enough to throw his massive pelt on the ground, and then throw her on it before following.

The miko laughed at his impatience. He made her feel powerful, and cherished and delicate at the same time. How had she found him? In all the worlds, how had she found someone like him?

That was what her mother had said to her. She could smile and remember her mother, and her family. Being the amazing, wonderful, unbelievable woman she was, Kagome's mother had let her go with a smile on her lips. She would always miss them, but her mother had made her see the truth.

_... "You are everything I could have wished you to be: as special, as loving. What you decide will be a product of that. You have been given a gift, my daughter, my precious Kagome. Someone you love has given his heart to you to hold in your keeping. What will you do with it?" ..._

Sesshomaru entwined one of his hands in her thick hair, using his purchase to tilt her head back so that he could pay attention to her throat and the soft skin below. His other hand traced the curve of her waist, curling behind her back to bend her body into his. She was so pliant and needy, and giving and expressive. He knew exactly what she enjoyed, because she said it in her soft sighs and the way her nails dug into his skin.

And then she shifted against him and he almost came undone.

Sesshomaru tensed, turning his face away from her with a low growl. Kagome froze as well, afraid that she'd done something to hurt him. But it was just his darker nature that had been awoken.

"Sesshomaru, its okay." She reached out to him, but he shook his head.

"If I harm you-" His voice was a deep growling rumble in his chest.

Kagome turned his face back towards her with a soothing hand on his cheek. She looked at him, at his red-gold eyes, and smiled. "You could never hurt me."

He could read her confidence, her belief. And it made him believe as well.

"Why did you come back?" He'd been determined not to ask the question, but the words slipped from his lips.

Kagome traced the markings on his cheeks. Her hand moved from his cheek to rest on the skin above her heart. The exact place where he had marked her so long ago.

"You told me to go home, Sesshomaru. And I have. I am home."

The youkai stared at her for a long moment, and then he enfolded her in a tight embrace before pulling back and kissing her long and hard.

When he finally gave her a moment to breath, the miko's eyes drifted upwards to the sky. It was a beautiful, completely magnificent night. The stars and moon were so bright that she could see the clearing easily, and the sky itself was every shade of black, blue and even purple.

"Its beautiful, Sesshomaru," she murmured, looking back at him. The youkai nodded, but didn't look up once.

"It is. Do you remember what I said, all that time ago?"

She smiled, twisting provocatively. "Damn right I do. Don't think that you'll be getting out of it this time, because I remember what you said exactly: '_When it is you and I, beneath open sky._' I think you ended off with something cryptic."

His lips curved in a smile as well. The youkai ran his fingers across her skin. "When it is you and I, beneath open sky. Then I will make you mine." His eyes glowed with the intensity of his desire, and the ferocity of his possessiveness. "You are mine, Kagome."

The miko responded with a gentle smile. She took his intensity in her stride, not afraid or submissive. It was one of the things that made her so different, so special. Kagome could laugh at his temper, and rather than antagonising him it lightened his heart. She leaned in to brush soft lips against his in a gentle kiss. "I am yours, if you will be mine."

He watched her, and again she marvelled at his enigmatic, alien beauty. "Then I will be yours as well," he replied, and he pressed himself against her. Sesshomaru washed her away in a flood of sensation, and lust and love. Soon it felt like he was all around her, inside and out. Kagome's cry of pleasure was swallowed by his lips, and she in turn drove him to the edge of madness again and again.

_It was insane, and insanely divine. All the blood that had been spilt, all the evil, wiped clean. In a way it was bizarre. It was as if the world had returned to how it was, except for a few changes, and the jewel had never existed. It was as if Kagome had always been with them._

Kagome threw her head back when his teeth marked her skin again, her fingers digging into his shoulders with the agony and ecstasy of having his power flood every inch of her being. And she welcomed it, welcomed him inside her soul. He was her home, and she was his heart.

With that bond, they were linked together and their souls entwined. And as a last blessing from the miko and youkai who had been freed from their torment in the heart of the Sacred Jewel, their lifespans were entwined as well.

_They all remembered what had happened. They remembered every loss and every fight that had brought them to this end, that was now the beginning. _

_The world had come full circle._

Can you see them? Can you see them rise from their exchange of love, and bathe in the clear waters of a spring? And she demands a hot-spring in whatever home they build together, while he greets her orders with a teasing smirk. And there, they go to join their friends at last. They are welcomed back into the village with a whirlwind of children, and an irate and muddy toad-like servant.

There are smiles, and laughter, and tears of happiness.

And there is the future.

.c.c.c..c.c.c.


End file.
